The Drake University men and women's track teams continued to build upon their outdoor success Friday, April 24, at the 106^th Drake Relays presented by Hy-Vee. Junior, Virginia Hill (Haymarket, Va.) didn't let late morning rain stop her from a personal best, as she ran 1:00.14 in the 400-meter hurdles, the fifth-fastest time in Drake history.

“Our freshmen student-athletes were excited to compete in their first Drake Relays,” head coach, Natasha Kasier-Brown said. “I was proud of our upperclassmen, Virginia, for hitting a new season's best, and Kayla [Bell] for coming close to a new mark.”

Two Des Moines natives, freshman Mary Young (Urbandale, Iowa) and junior Destani Welch (Des Moines, Iowa) opened the day with the 100-meter hurdles. Young finished 11^th in 13.93 followed by Welch who finished 27^th in 15.00.

Young, Rai Ahmed-Green (Irvine, Calif.), Taryn Rolle (Nassau, Bahamas) and Danyelle Cole (Kansas City, Kan.) ran 46.93, a strong time for 15^th place in the 4x100-meter relay. This same quartet ran on the 4x200-meter relay, finishing 11th in a time of 1:39.09.

In the field events junior, Kayla Bell (Bolingbrook, Ill.) jumped 19-2.75, just shy of matching her season best of 19-6.25 in the long jump. Bell finished 11^th overall.

Senior, Phillip Beeler (Lenexa, Kan.) finished 11^th overall in his final Drake Relays debut, throwing 200-9 in the javelin. Junior, David Silkman, (Leawood, Kan.) followed with a mark of 183-5.

On the track, sprinters Pierce Vincent (Fayetteville, Ga.) and Demetrius Shelton (Markham, Ill.) ran 10.85 and 11.15, respectively, in the 100 meters. Vincent also ran a leg of the 4x200- meter relay, along with Kai Asberry (Carrollton, Texas), Steven Jordan (McFarland, Wis.), Kendall Owens (Carrollton, Texas). The team finished 9^th overall in a time of 1:25.76.

The Bulldogs will chase more records and aim for new season bests at the final day of the Drake Relays, beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 25.