Doris Jumps To Drake Title

April 28, 2012

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DES MOINES, Iowa – The University of Iowa senior Troy Doris took the triple jump title Saturday at the Drake Relays. The 103rd annual Drake Relays was held at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.

Senior Troy Doris stole the show in the triple jump. Doris leapt to a mark of 53-10 ¼ (16.41m) on his final jump of the competition to beat out Florida’s Omar Craddock and take the title.

The men’s sprint medley relay was an exciting race from the start. Senior Patrick Richards ran the first leg of the event before handing it off to junior Josh Larney. Larney handed off to freshman Brennan Davey who passed the baton to anchor Erik Sowinski. The senior was in third place when he received the baton and he quickly made his move into first place. He led the 800 meters until the final few seconds when Georgia senior Aaron Evans sprinted ahead to take the title. The Hawkeyes finished second in the event, clocking a time of 3:17.25. That time ranks second all-time at Iowa.

“That’s how I always run,” said Sowinski. “I take it out hard from the get go. I ran my race and did what I could, but it wasn’t enough for us today.”

The women’s sprint medley relay team of sophomores Erin Jones and Raven Moore, senior Nicole Erickson, and sophomore Adrianne Alexia crossed the line in 4:00.19 to finish ninth. That time ranks seventh all-time at Iowa.

Freshman Gabe Hull grabbed a fourth place finish in the discus with a toss of 182-09 (55.70m). Senior Ryan Lamparek also competed in the event. Lamparek finished ninth with a mark of 172-11 (52.72m).

The men’s distance medley relay team of junior Nick Holmes, freshman Kaleb Van Cleave, senior Erik Sowinski, and junior Jeff Thode recorded a fifth place finish clocking a time of 9:41.59. The Hawkeyes were in the middle of the pack when Sowinski received the baton. Sowinski made up some ground before handing off to his teammate Thode who moved into first place with two laps to go, but his efforts were not enough to take the title. The Hawkeyes time of 9:41.59 ranks third all-time at Iowa.

Junior Ethan Holmes ran to a fourth place finish in the 400-meter hurdles. Holmes clocked a time of 51.17.

“I always like to focus on the team, but this weekend four individuals stood out to me: seniors Jeffery Herron, Erik Sowinski, and Troy Doris, and junior Ethan Holmes,” said director of track and field Larry Wieczork. “Those four individuals and their efforts really stood out to me this weekend.”

The Hawkeyes will return to action May 4 with the UNI Messersmith Invite in Cedar Falls, Iowa.