IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Vinnie Saucer, Jr., always wanted to be the fastest man in the Big Ten Conference. But until last week, there were people who doubted it would happen.
That's not because he hadn't shown ability to perform at a high level -- he was a 2008 Junior Olympic champion in the 100 meters -- the problem was, the results hadn't shown up recently.
A 2013 California state champion, Saucer was expected to immediately contribute to the Hawkeye sprints and relays as a freshman in 2014. But he didn't, and a year ago he wasn't in the conference conversation a week before the Big Ten Championships.