IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Drake University men's and women's track and field teams began the 2014 portion of their schedule on Saturday afternoon at the Big Four Duals, hosted by the University of Iowa.

The unique, scored meet between the state of Iowa's four Division I programs used a dual meet scoring system to pit the Bulldogs against their three in-state rivals. The men's team defeated Iowa State, 73-63, but fell to Northern Iowa and Iowa. The women's team was defeated by all three. Iowa won all three of its men's and women's duals.

“This was an interesting meet because most everyone who competed contributed,” said Drake track and field head coach Natasha Kaiser-Brown. “With two from each team scoring, it makes it critical to get two athletes in as many events as possible.”

Some of that strategy involved multiple athletes competing in events for the first time and track athletes stepping into field events in hopes of generating points for their team.

“I liked how our team rallied together,” Kaiser-Brown said of the scored format and team approach.

Senior Brogan Austin (Boone, Iowa) recorded one of the day's biggest highlights in winning the mile in 4:16.79. The veteran sat back in the pack before making his move late to defeat the state's other top milers.

“It was a pretty exciting meet and Brogan Austin winning the mile was thrilling,” Kaiser-Brown said. “Johnathan Osifuye and Ryan Cook also performed well in the jumps. Overall we were competitive, but just a little flat coming off the winter break.”

Osifuye was second in the triple jump at 46-6.75 and third in the long jump with a leap of 22-7.25. Cook (Colorado Springs, Colo.) opened his season by clearing 6-9.75 in the high jump to finish second.

Senior Tiara Winston (Denton, Texas) led the women's squad with a third-place showing the 60 meters thanks to personal-best time of 7.77. She also scored points with a third-place finish in the 200 meters in 25.63. Destani Welch (Des Moines, Iowa) added to the Bulldogs' tally in 60-meter hurdles with a second-place finish in 8.96.

Field points for the women's team came via Kayla Bell (Bollingbrook, Ill.) turning a third-place jump in the triple jump at 38-0 and sixth in the long jump with a leap of 17-0.5. Kathryn Ambrose cleared 10-8 in the pole vault to finish third and was one of many athletes who stepped up in other events as she competed in the shot put for the first time in her career.

The Bulldogs continue their outdoor season next weekend and the Jack Johnson Invitational, Jan. 24-25, in Minneapolis, Minn.