DES MOINES, Iowa – Drake University junior Reed Fischer (Minnetonka, Minn.) closed the annual Distance Carnival with a near record breaking performance on Thursday evening at the Drake Relays presented by Hy-Vee.

Fischer finished third in the men's 5,000 meters in 14:00.28, just three one-hundreths of a second shy of the Drake school record.

"I was feeling good and when the pacer stepped off. I tried to make a race of it and was heartbreakingly close to a school record," Fischer said. "It's still a regional qualifying time so I feel good about that. That was probably the fastest I've closed in a 5k before."

Fischer ran his last lap in 1:02.83 as he chased down the leaders, but could not catch a pair Texas Tech Red Raiders down the stretch with Drake fans cheering him on. 

"You come out here and you know you're going to have two-thirds of the stadium cheering for you in the Relays atmosphere," Fischer said. "It's awesome having that support from the Des Moines community."

TTU's Evans Tuitoek won the race in 13:58.56 followed by his teammate, Benard Keter in 13:58.80.

Drake's Griffin Jaworski (Winter Park, Fla.) also competed in the event, finishing in 14:37.25 and 19th place. 

Minutes earlier in the women's 5,000 meters, Bailee Cofer (Overland Park, Kan.) turned in another personal best with a time of 17:07.75 to finish in 18th place. Cassie Aerts (David City, Neb.) was 21st in 17:15.45.

The Bulldogs continue action at Drake Stadium on Friday with a full day of competition.