TOPEKA, Kan. – Drake University track and field got contributions from up-and-down their lineup at the Washburn Open. The Bulldogs celebrated two wins and several milestones to turn the calendar from January to February.
Drake collected to gold medals in Topeka over the weekend.
Brogan Giffin (7:58.86) and
Lara Smits (14.86m/48'-9") metaphorically stood atop the podium in the men's 3000m and women's shot put, respectively.
Giffin also took second in the men's 1-mile (4:03.39), matched by his women's mile counterpart
Emilie Meyer (4:53.51).
Sam Carpenter also earned runner-up status in the men's weight throw with a toss of 19.41m/63'-8.25".
Other top 10 finishers for Drake included
Cooper Cerese in the men's shot put (third; 16.61m/54'-6"),
Centaine Noom-Duckworth in the women's weight throw (fourth; 17.53m/57'-6.25"),
Juan Trasobares in the men's 5000m (sixth; 14:33.99), Zofia Franklin in the women's long jump (eighth; 5.49m/18'-0.25"), Meyer in the women's 800m (ninth; 2:15.25),
Harrison Martinenko in the men's 3000m (10th; 8:16.75), and
Ethan Elliott in the men's shot put (15.34m/50'-4").
Elsewhere in the field events,
Maud Visscher posted a pair of 14th-place finishes in the women's shot put (12.42m/40'-9") and weight throw (15.77m/51'-9"). New Zealand native
Harrison McGregor heaved 14.95m/49-0.75" in the men's shot put, good enough for 16th, while Elliott took 17th in the men's weight throw (15.32m/50'-3.25"). Smits paired her individual win with a 17th place result in the women's weight throw (14.94m/49'-0.25"). Long jumper
Malachi Collier finished 26th in the men's division with a leap of 6.48m/21'-3.25".
The Bulldogs also had a several other runners finish in the top 25 of their respective events.
Aidan Ramsey came across in 12th in the men's mile with a time of 4:10.63. Trasobares added an 18th-place finish in the men's 3000m in a pace of 8:22.73.
Aidan Palmer (8:29.57) and
Brendan Cain (8:35.38) earned 23rd and 25th in the men's 3000m race while
Hannah Kilday (10:46.25) took 20th on the women's side.
Dyer Jarabek (1:14.51) and
Dylan DeAngelo (1:14.68) went back-to-back in 19th and 20
th in the men's 600. Lastly, in the women's section,
Savannah Ming (25.24) and
Gracie Shannon (2:21.81) ran their way to 25th place in the 200m and 800m, respectively.
"We closed out the Washburn Open with 17 personal records, six all-time top 10 performances, a second-best all-time result, and a new school record," head coach
Jay Koloseus said. "
Brogan Giffin winning the 3k breaking eight minutes and
Lara Smits' school record win in the shot put really set the tone for a great meet in Topeka."
The Bulldog track and field team will be back in a familiar location next weekend. Drake is set to compete at the Iowa State Classic in Ames on Feb. 8.
