Des Moines, Iowa – Brogan Austin (Boone, Iowa) has been close, really close, to winning a Drake Relays title. The Drake junior who prepped at Boone had finished second at the relays three times in the past. He finally claimed his first victory Thursday, making history in the process.
“Words can't explain it,” Austin said. “It was awesome. I've been trying to do it for several years now, gotten second place three times and I finally got the win this year. It's just a relief, it feels good.”
Austin won the men's university-college 5,000 meters in 14:12.20, outlasting a kick from North Central's John Crain, who was second in 14:12.50, to become the first Drake student-athlete to win a race at the Drake Relays since 1995.
After being caught in the middle of the pack early on in the race, Austin came even with the leader on two separate occasions. When the race hit its final lap, he picked up the pace and shot to the front, taking the lead with 300 meters to go and never relinquished it.
“Coming down to the last quarter there were ten of us, I knew I didn't have the 100 or 200 meter speed so I went ahead at the 400 and tried to put a gap on everybody, I really felt it there at the end,” Austin said.
Gina DeWitt won the women's university-college 800 in 1995, the last Bulldog to do so. Shaun Benefield, the last Drake male to win, also won the 800 in 1993. It was Drake's first ever win in the event, which has been run since 1964.
“Brogan gets all of the credit,” said Drake distance coach Dan Hostager. “He puts in so much work, he's struggled to be completely healthy and that's why there's more to come once he gets squared away. I know this meant a lot to him. He had never won a Drake Relays in high school, he'd been second a couple of times and had a nice run here in the 10k, so it's extra special.”
Senior Briana Isom-Brummer (St. Louis, Mo.) finished the two-day heptathlon in sixth with a school-record score of 5,087 points. Her best finish came in the high jump, where she snared fourth with a jump of 5-5.25.
Junior Omet Kak (Des Moines, Iowa) was fifth in the unseeded 800 meters in 1:52.75. Freshman teammate Jim Saxton (La Crosse, Wis.), 1:53.62, and fifth-year senior Charlie Lapham (Golden Valley, Minn.), 1:54.60, were ninth and 11th respectively.
The 4x1600 relay team of sophomores Melissa Parks (Norfolk, Neb.) and Krista Maguire (Wausau, Wis.) and freshmen Cassie Aerts (David City, Neb.) and Emma Huston (Des Moines, Iowa) was 10th in 20:59.92.
Freshman Taylor Scholl (Prior Lake, Minn.) was tenth in the unseeded 800 meters in a time of 2:22.71.
The 104th running of the Drake Relays will continue tomorrow, April 26, at 8 a.m. with the high school girls' 100-meter hurdles. Drake will begin competition in the university women's 100-meter hurdles at 9:32 a.m., when Marissa Smith, Sarah Yeager, Destini Welch and Briana Isom-Brummer will compete for the Blue and White.
104th Drake Relays
Drake Men
Individual Results
800 Meters (Unseeded)
5. Omet Kak, 1:52.75
9. James Saxton, 1:53.62
11. Charlie Lapham, 1:54.60
5,000 Meters
1. Brogan Austin, 14:12.50
Drake Women
Individual Results
800 Meters (Unseeded)
10. Taylor Scholl, 2:22.71
4x1600 Relay
10. M. Parks, Aerts, Huston, Maguire – 20:59.92
Heptathlon
6. Briana Isom-Brummer, 5,087
100-meter Hurdles, 6, 14.58
High jump, 4, 5-5.25
Shot put, 16, 29-1.75
200 meters, 6, 25.91
Javelin, 5, 131-4
800 meters, 5, 2:18.42
