April 25, 2009
Drake Relays Photo Gallery (April 25)
DES MOINES, IA — Hawkeye freshman D’Juan Richardson, sophomore Zeke Sayon, freshman Patrick Richards and junior Paul Chaney, Jr. sprinted their way to a Drake Relays title in the men’s 400-meter relay Saturday afternoon in Des Moines. The quartet ran a 40.71 to become the sixth Iowa 400-meter relay to earn a Drake Relays title in that event, and the first Hawkeye men’s competitors to win a title in a Drake track event since former Hawkeye Stetson Steele won the 5,0000 meters in 2000. A 90-minute taped delayed broadcast of Saturday’s competition at the 100th annual event will air Sunday at 1 p.m. (CT) on ESPN2 and ESPN2HD.
“Our 400-meter relay ran during probably the worst weather of the day,” explained Head Men’s Coach Larry Wieczorek. “Once they got on the track, it started to pour. But they ran fast, got the (relay) stick around the track and won the race. With the win in the 400-meter relay, placing second in the sprint medley relay and fourth in the 1,600-meter relay, and Ray (Varner) placing second in the 400-meter hurdles, I am really happy with our overall meet. I felt like we took some momentum into the Drake Relays, and I feel like we are taking more into the Big Ten Championships in a couple of weeks.”
Hawkeye sophomore Karessa Farley and junior Ray Varner placed second in their respective events, while the men’s sprint medley relay of Richards, Chaney, Jr., sophomore Chris Barton and junior Adam Hairston placed second in 3:20.05, which ranks third in school history. Farley was runner-up in the women’s 100-meter hurdles with a collegiate best 13.53 that qualifies her for the regional meet and ranks second in school history. Varner was runner-up in the 400-meter hurdles with a regional qualifying mark of 51.80, and anchored the men’s 1,600-meter relay to a fourth-place finish in 3:11.46. Sophomore Steven Willey, Richards and Barton also ran on the 1,600-meter relay.
“We had a great day of competition and took advantage of some opportunities in less than ideal weather conditions,” said Head Women’s Coach Layne Anderson. “Karessa (Farley) ran a good race and our 6,400-meter relay put in a strong performance.”
Sophomore Hannah Roeder posted Iowa’s other regional qualifying performance of the day, placing fifth in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase in 10:42.88. The women’s 6,400-meter relay of freshman Betsy Flood and McKenzie Melander, sophomore Amanda Hardesty and freshman Brooke Eilers placed third in 19:36.43, which ranks second in school history. Rounding out the top 10 performances for the Hawkeyes were senior A.J. Curtis in the men’s discus (7th – 170-2), Hairston in the men’s 800 meters (8th – 1:54.15), and sophomore Josh Bean in the men’s triple jump (9th – 47-8 1/2).
Iowa’s next competition will be Saturday, May 2 at the Illinois Invite in Champaign, IL. The Hawkeyes will also send a handful of competitors to Stanford’s Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational the same day. Those will be the final meets before the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, which are set for May 15-17 at Columbus, OH.
IOWA’S SATURDAY DRAKE RELAYS RESULTS (WINNER PLUS IOWA PLACERS)
Women’s 100-Meter Hurdles
1. Kim Laing (Alabama) 13.28
2. Karessa Farley (Iowa) 13.53
Men’s 400-Meter Hurdles
1. Justin Gaymon (Georgia) 50.71
2. Ray Varner (Iowa) 51.80
Men’s 800 Meters
1. Dominic Tanui (Texas-El Paso) 1:48.72
8. Adam Hairston (Iowa) 1:54.15
Women’s 3,000-Meter Steeplechase
1. Sarah Pease (Indiana) 10:16.49
5. Hannah Roeder (Iowa) 10:42.88
Men’s Discus
1. Daniel Schaerer (Stanford) 189-10
7. A.J. Curtis (Iowa) 170-2
14. Ryan Lamparek (Iowa) 159-6
21. Nick Brayton (Iowa) 152-3
Men’s High Jump
1. Derek Drouin (Indiana) 6-11 3/4
13. Ryan Kelly (Iowa) 6-6 3/4
Men’s Triple Jump
1. Adewale’ Odetunde (Mississippi) 50-10 3/4
9. Josh Bean (Iowa) 47-8 1/2
Men’s Hammer Throw
1. Chris Rohr (Missouri) 235-11
14. Matt Banse (Iowa) 176-6
16. Mark Schaapveld (Iowa) 174-0
Men’s 400-Meter Relay
1. Iowa (Richardson, Sayon, Richards, Chaney, Jr.) 40.71
Men’s 1,600-Meter Relay
1. Baylor (Hewitt, Boyd, Betters, Iglehart-Summers) 3:05.11
4. Iowa (Willey, Richards, Barton, Varner) 3:11.46
Men’s Sprint Medley Relay
1. Northern Iowa (Herring, Reid, Goos, Mulder) 3:19.55
2. Iowa (Richards, Chaney, Jr., Barton, Hairston) 3:20.05
Women’s 6,400-Meter Relay
1. Minnesota (Albertson-Junkans, Yetzer, Swenson, Dorinden) 19:14.09
3. Iowa (Flood, Melander, A. Hardesty, Eilers) 19:36.43
Men’s Distance Medley Relay
1. Stanford (Heath, Morton, Evans, Heath) 9:36.14
15. Iowa (Kadlec, Sowinski, Braff, E. MacTaggart) 10:02.91