Iowa javelin thrower Marissa Mueller was riding an exercise bike in the school’s workout facility during the winter when a visitor sat down on the bike next to her and started pedaling.
It was Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren.
New to the job and touring all the conference’s campuses, Warren made a point of meeting the league’s athletes where they lived and trained. That included the workout at Iowa, which was followed up by a tour of facilities with Mueller and two other athletes. Then the group sat down to lunch together, a meal Warren used as a vehicle for what he called “a family discussion.