WHAT'S AHEAD: The Drake track and field program will have four athletes compete in the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship at Norman, Okla., this Friday and Saturday.

The top five finishers in each event will advance to the NCAA Championships June 10-13 in Fayetteville, Ark.

Senior Leyden Tolhurst (Auckland, New Zealand) will race in the prelims of the men's 1,500 meters at 4:20 p.m. Friday. The top 12 runners in the two prelim heats advance to the finals at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

Senior Josh Bangert (Washington, Mo.) will compete in the finals of the men's long jump at 5 p.m. Friday.

Drake senior Nicole Braunsdorf (St. Francis, Wis.) will run in the finals of the women's 5,000 at 8:40 p.m. Friday, while sophomore teammate Casey McDermott (Newton, Iowa) will run in the finals of the women's 3,000 steeplechase at 7:15 p.m. Saturday.

It will mark the first appearance in a regional for all four athletes.

A LOOK BACK: Leyden Tolhurst captured the 1,500-meter run to highlight action for the Drake men's track and field team at the 99th annual State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Championship May 17th in Terre Haute, Ind.

Tolhurst, who finished runner-up in the mile at the 2009 MVC Indoor meet, was clocked in 3 minutes 53.74 seconds. He also was fourth in the 800 in 1:53.20.

Casey McDermott was third in the women's 1500 in 4:31.82 at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship May 18 in Terre Haute, Ind.

Nicole Braunsdorf was fourth in the women's 5,000 in 17:32.42.

McDermott also finished eighth in the women's 3,000 steeplechase in 11:01.40.