Wednesday, April 13, 2011
What's Ahead: After
traveling south for its first two meets of the outdoor season, the Drake
women's track and field team returns home to host the Jim Duncan Invitational
at Drake Stadium this Friday and Saturday (April 15-16). The men's high jump
kicks off action on Friday at 3:30 p.m., while start time on Saturday is slated
for 8:30 a.m.
About
Jim Duncan: This weekend's track
meet honors former Drake track letter winner and Drake Relays announcer, Jim
Duncan. Duncan served as public address announcer of the Drake Relays from 1951
until his death in 1989.
A native of Clearfield,
Iowa, Duncan attended Drake University, receiving his degree in 1931. He later
was a professor of radio and journalism at Drake for 31 years until his
retirement from teaching in 1981. Before retiring from Drake, he was named one
of the nation's "super profs" by Esquire
Magazine.
Duncan competed in track
while at Drake, winning a Missouri Valley Conference title in the quarter-mile
in 1930. He continued running into the 1970s and competed in the master's
division at regional and national track and field events for several years,
finishing in the 220 and 440 at the 1971 U.S. Masters.
Duncan began teaching at
Drake in 1950 and working as "Voice of the Relays" in 1951,
announcing only the morning events until 1962 when he took control of
announcing the entire schedule of events.
The
Drake Stadium oval was renamed "The Jim Duncan Track" during
ceremonies in 1988. Duncan died April 12, 1989, after a heart attack.
Last Time Out: The
Drake women's track and field team was led by senior Casey McDermott (Newton, Iowa) who had a
phenomenal showing at the Tom Botts Invitational last weekend (April 8-9).
McDermott started the meet by winning the
steeplechase on Friday (April 8) with a time of 11:00.57, which was almost 30
seconds faster than Scotti Schoen of Northern Iowa, who came in second-place.
She capped off her weekend at the Tom Botts
Invitational by earning a third-place finish in the 1,500-meter race on
Saturday (April 9) crossing the line in 4:36.81.
In the 100-meter hurdles, sophomores Sarah Yeager (Ottumwa, Iowa) and Marissa Smith (Ajax, Ontario) registered
sixth and 11th-place finishes. Yeager set a season best with a time of 14.60,
while Smith crossed the line in 15.28.
The senior tandem of Lindsay Smith (Lakeville, Minn.) and Katie Coomer (Overland Park, Kan.) were
sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 3,000-meter race. Smith crossed the
line in 10:38.13, while Coomer was clocked in 10:40.87.
Junior Paige Steffen (Bloomington, Ind.) finished
sixth in the 400-meter hurdles was sixth clocking in at 1:04.97. Sophomore Briana Isom-Brummer (St. Louis, Mo.) was
ninth (1:05.79), while Yeager was 10th (1:06.76).
Junior Kirsten Lake (Parker, Colo.) ran a
season best in the 800-meter race with her time of 2:15.92 to come in seventh.
Senior Cambria Pardner (Aurora, Colo.) was eighth
in the triple jump (37 feet 3.25 inches) and 10th in the 100-meter dash
(12.36).
Up Next:
The Bulldogs will travel to the Musco Twilight on April 23 in Iowa City, Iowa
in their final meet before the Drake Relays.
