LINCOLN, Neb. - The Drake University track and field teams turned in more strong performances on Saturday at the Nebraska Invitational in their final meet before next week's Missouri Valley Conference Championship.

"I really like where this team is right now," said Drake head coach Natasha Kaiser-Brown. "We are physically in a really good spot as we head into finals week and the MVC Championship."

Drake's sprinters were led by Rai Ahmed-Green (Irvine, Calif.) finishing second in the 400 meters with a season-best time of 57.30 followed by Kaylen Rettig (Allen, Texas) in fourth. For the men, Demetrius Shelton (Markham, Ill.) finished second in the 100 meters in personal-best time of 10.60. Taryn Rolle (Nassau, The Bahamas) was fourth in the women's 100 meters in 11.98.

"I was worried coming off of the Drake Relays that our team might not be able to get themselves up for this week, but they did a great job," Kaiser-Brown added.

Laura Gann (Wheaton, Ill.) also clocked a season best in the women's 800 meters in 2:14.93. Three other Bulldogs finished in the top 10 of the event as the majority of the team's distance runners had the week off to prepare for the conference meet. Josh Yeager (Center Point, Iowa) was the top Drake finisher in the men's 1,500 meters with a fourth-place time of 3:58.31.

The Bulldog hurdlers also made their final pre-championship tweaks with Mary Young (Urbandale, Iowa) finishing second in the 100-meter hurdles in 13.72 followed by Destani Welch (Des Moines, Iowa) in third and Virginia Hill (Haymarket, Va.) in fifth. 

Bas Van Leersum (Zaandam, The Netherlands) turned in a time of 53.05 in the men's 400-meter hurdles, the fourth-fastest time of the day and the second fastest by a collegian. 

The Bulldogs now turn their attention to closing out the academic year in strong fashion with final exams this week, followed by the MVC Championship May 13-15 in Terre Haute, Ind.
 

Nebraska Invitational May 7, 2016 – Lincoln, Neb.   Drake Individual Women's Results 100 Meters 4. Taryn Rolle, 11.98   400 Meters 2. Rai Ahmed-Green, 57.30 4. Kaylen Rettig, 59.30   800 Meters 2. Laura Gann, 2:14.93 4. Kayla Giuliano, 2:18.89 8. Celeste Arteaga, 2:26.80 9. Shelby Varney, 2:36.27   100-Meter Hurdles 2. Mary Young, 13.72 3. Destani Welch, 14.30 5. Virginia Hill, 14.53 6. Victoria Coombe, 14.92   400-Meter Hurdles 5. Victoria Coombe, 1:04.56   High Jump 7. Taylor Patton, 5-1.25   Pole Vault 4. Christina LeMunyon, 11-4.25 5. Kathryn Ambrose, 9-10.5

Nebraska Invitational May 7, 2016 – Lincoln, Neb.   Drake Individual Men's Results 100 Meters 2. Demetrius Shelton, 10.60   200 Meters 6. Aaron Chier, 21.79 9. Kendall Owens, 22.43   400 Meters 10. Zachary Elkins, 55.36   800 Meters 9. Alec Bognar, 1:58.17 10. John Freeman, 2:03.95   1,500 Meters 4. Josh Yeager, 3:58.31 7. Ali Jandal, 4:03.01 9. Chris Kaminski, 4:14.54   110-Meter Hurdles 4. Dominic Lombardi, 15.18   400-Meter Hurdles 4. Bas Van Leersum, 53.05 6. Dominic Lombardi, 55.43 7. Tyler Zak, 56.00 8. Hudson Priebe, 56.42   High Jump 4. Ryan Cook, 6-5.5   Discus 12. Michael Dolan, 137-4   Hammer Throw 11. Michael Dolan, 160-0   Javelin 3. David Silkman, 179-5