Husker Milers Break School Record at Drake Relays

Des Moines, Iowa ? After competing in sunny 80-degree weather on Friday, the No. 11 men’s and No. 24 women’s Nebraska track and field teams returned to a cold and rainy sold-out Drake Stadium for the fourth and final day of the 100th Annual Drake Relays on Saturday morning. The Huskers did not let the elements hold them back as 14,504 fans saw the Huskers set a school record in the 4x1,600-meter relay, while Lisa Minnick, Jen Webers and Eric Petersen each set regional-qualifying marks for the first time in their careers.

 

Rachel Carrizales, Lara Crofford, Jen Pancoast and Ashley Miller teamed to set a school record in the 4x1,600-meter relay with a time of 19:41.97. The four Husker milers topped the previous mark of 19:42.42, ran in 2004 by Kathryn Handrup, Ann Gaffigan, Jen’s older sister Kim Pancoast and Anne Shadle.

 

Along with Natalie Willer’s American Junior, Drake Relays and school-record vault of 14-3 1/2 on Friday afternoon, the Huskers set two school records at the 2009 Drake Relays.

 

Minnick, a junior from Cambridge, Neb., got the Huskers off on the right foot bright and early at 9:30 a.m. in the women’s hammer throw with a personal-best toss of 179-4. Minnick finished fifth in the event, surpassing the regional-qualifying standard of 177-8 and her previous best of 177-0. The throw moves Minnick to 10th all-time in the hammer on the NU outdoor performance list. On the men’s side, Eric Petersen added his name to the regional-qualifying list for the first time as well, finishing ninth with a toss of 186-11.

 

Next, Webers became the fourth Husker on the women’s side and sixth Husker overall to regionally qualify in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Battling the cold and rain, Webers dropped her personal best by over seven seconds with a time of 10:47.19.

 

After posting the eight-best time in the 100-meter hurdle preliminaries on Friday with a time of 14.41, Nikita Eades returned on Saturday to finish fifth in the finals with a season-best time of 13.74. Eades’ time topped her regional-qualifying time from last weekend’s John McDonnell Invitational, where she ran 13.89 in the prelims.

 

The Huskers will now head back to Lincoln for tomorrow’s Nebraska Open at Ed Weir Stadium. The meet is set to start at 11 a.m. with the women’s hammer throw and men’s javelin. Action on the track will begin at Noon with the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. Admission is free to all, while fans unable to attend can find live results at Huskers.com.