CHICAGO – The Drake track & field programs put together a historic outing at the Missouri Valley Conference at the Dr. Conrad Worrill Track & Field Center at Gately Park, Feb. 25-26.
Brooke Mullins picked up Most Valuable Athlete status while
Isaac Basten was named Most Outstanding Performer.
"What a weekend," head coach
Jay Koloseus said. "I am elated to close our conference meet with two specialty awards."
On the men's side, the Bulldogs finished fourth in the team standings with 68 points. The Bulldog women's track & field team wound up in eighth place as a team after accumulating 48 points to finish higher than the preseason rankings.
Since 2000, the Drake men's track & field team has notched two finishes of fourth place or higher, the 2021 men's squad and this season.
"All event areas competed very well to garner one of the best overall finishes we have had as a program this century," Koloseus said. Over the past few months we have watched this team grow close and I am excited about the winning culture we are cultivating. Even though our points and standings were outstanding, I liked the way our athletes supported each other even more."
Anthony Barmes (21.11mm/69-03.25) and
Adam Phillips (20.87m/68-05.75) shared the podium with a gold and silver medal in the men's weight throw.
Centaine Noom Duckworth (18.95m/62-02.25) and Chinnemerem Iwuagwu (17.68m/58-00.25) almost shared the podium with fourth and fifth place finishes respectively.
Mullins won both the women's 3000m (season-best 9:33.59) and 5000m (17:01.68) races to snag a pair of gold medals.
Aziz Jdai took the runner-up spot in the men's 5000m with a time of 14:17.87 while
Brogan Giffin (14:23.85) was sixth.
The Drake men's distance medley relay team oof
Juan Trasobares,
Dyer Jarabek,
Jack Burns and
Aidan Ramsey helped the Bulldogs close out Sunday's competition with a victory to mark the second straight season that the Bulldogs won the men's distance medley relay.
Basten defended his MVC indoor men's mile title in 2023 by turning in a championship time of 4:07.83.
In the men's 3000m
Enzo Marie (8:12.74) and Jdai (8:13.46) both scored by finishing in fifth and sixth respectively.
Amanda Radava set a personal best of 2:13.68 in the women's 800m while just missing the podium in fourth place.
Emilie Meyer was sixth in the women's 800m and also barely missed the podium in the women's mile with a personal record of 4:48.20.
Multiple other season-bests and PRs were set as the Bulldogs prepare for the outdoor season with the NCAA Indoor Championships in Boston next on the docket March 8-9.
