LINCOLN, Neb. – The Drake University track and field teams concluded the final day at the Graduate Classic, hosted by the University of Nebraska, Saturday afternoon with 11 top-five finishes.
 
Sophomore Malik Metivier (Toronto, Ont.) led both teams with a first-place finish in the men's 400 meters with a career-best time of 49.33. Metivier also ran in the Bulldogs third-place 4x400-meter relay and fourth-place distance medley. Sophomore Deonne Witherspoon (South Bend, Ind.) recorded a career-best to finish third in the 60 meters while senior Bas Van Leersum (Zaandam, Netherlands) added a fifth-place finish in the 600 meters.
 
"Overall this was a super start to 2018," said Drake director of track & field and cross country Mark Carroll. "The team was highly competitive with individual wins from Malik [Metivier] today and Bailee Cofer Friday. Mary Young got her season started with an excellent race in the hurdles and overall we had about 15 PRs this weekend and a great start to the year."
 
The women were led by senior Mary Young (Urbandale, Iowa) with a second place finish the 60-meter hurdles. Young, who ran a time of 8.45, was just .03 seconds out of first place.  Junior Victoria Coombe (Centennial, Colo.) recorded a time of 1:36.35 to take second in the 600 meters. Coombe also was a part of the third place 4x400 relay that included junior Meghan Kearney (Kansas City, Mo.) and seniors Rai Ahmed-Green (Irvine, Calif.) and Kayla Giuliano (Lake in the Hills, Ill.). Senior Taryn Rolle (Nassau, Bahamas) rounded out the day for Drake with a fourth-place finish in the triple jump.
 
The Bulldogs opened the competition Friday with Bailee Cofer (Overland Park, Kan.) winning the 3,000 meters by more than eight seconds with a career-best time of 10:01.83. Sophomore Olivia Rogers (Boulder, Colo.) placed ninth. Cofer and Rogers were joined by five other Bulldogs who recorded top-ten finishes on the first day of the Bulldogs' first meet of 2018.
 
Sophomore Morgan Garcia finished eighth in the 1,000 meters while freshman Millie Bretl (Milwaukee, Wis.) took fifth place in the mile with a time of 5:21.58.
 
The Bulldog men were led Friday by junior Josh Yeager (Center Point, Iowa) and sophomore Xavier Lechleitner (Edgar, Wis.) who recorded second and third place finishes in their races, respectively. Yeager turned in a 4:15.69 performance in the mile and Lechleitner finished the 800 meters with a time of 1:55.78.
 
The Bulldogs will take a week off of competition before traveling to the Jack Jennette Invite, hosted by UNI Jan. 26-27 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
 
The Graduate Classic
Jan. 12-13, 2018
Lincoln, Neb. – Bob Devaney Center
 
Drake Individual Men's Results
60 Meters (Finals)
3. Deonne Witherspoon, 6.78
6. Aaron Chier, 6.91
 
60 Meters (Prelims)
2. Deonne Witherspoon, 6.82
7. Aaron Chier, 6.96
 
200 Meters
35. Michael Cooper, 24.41
 
400 Meters
1. Malik Metivier, 49.33
17. Jannik Schuler, 53.26
 
600 Meters
5. Bas Van Leersum, 1:29.92
13. Cory Erickson, 1:24.54
19. Hudson Priebe, 1:29.51
 
800 Meters
3. Xavier Leichleitner, 1:55.78
19. John Freeman, 2:09.90
 
1,000 Meters
8. Chris Kaminski, 2:39.76
22. Max Harlan, 2:55.01
 
Mile
2. Josh Yeager, 4:15.69
16. Alec Bognar, 4:42.81
 
3,000 Meters
11. Kyle Brandt, 8:40.39
25. Joe Romain, 9:16.37
35. Alex Rohlfs, 9:51.40
 
60-Meter Hurdles (Prelims)
15. Dominic Lombardi, 8.59
 
Distance Medley
4. Bognar, Metivier, Yeager, Erickson, 10:28.70
 
4x400 Relay
3. Van Leersum, Schuler, Priebe, Metivier, 3:20.87
 
High Jump (Seeded)
6. Forest Moses, 6-4.25
 
Pole Vault (Unseeded)
13. Alex Klosterman, 13-01.75
 
Drake Individual Women's Results
60 Meters (Prelims)
9. Taryn Rolle, 7.94
11. Sophia Jackson, 8.00
 
200 Meters
11. Mariah Crawford, 26.23
28. Sophia Jackson, 27.26
 
400 Meters
5. Rai Ahmed-Green, 58.73
 
600 Meters
2. Victoria Coombe, 1:36.35
6. Kayla Giuliano, 1:38.87
 
1,000 Meters
8. Morgan Garcia, 3:13.07
 
Mile
5. Millie Bretl, 5:21.58
13. Rachel Selva, 5:31.51
17. Elizabeth Aho, 5:37.57
 
3,000 Meters
1. Bailee Cofer, 10:01.83
9. Olivia Rogers, 10:40.11
21. Kenzie Mente, 11:48.47
 
60-Meter Hurdles (Finals)
2. Mary Young, 8.45
 
60-Meter Hurdles (Prelims)
2. Mary Young, 8.66
 
4x400 Relay
3. Ahmed-Green, Kearney, Giuliano, Coombe, 3:53.75
 
Triple Jump
4. Taryn Rolle, 39-5.25
 
Pole Vault (Seeded)
6. Christina LeMunyon, 10-11.75