Champions

I had a great time at the Drake Relays on Friday evening and Saturday. There were some incredible individual and team performances at the meet, led by Alan Webb who ran the fastest outdoor mile in world at 3:51.71 on Saturday!

Other performances and records of note:

• The Drake Relays sold out on Saturday for the 42nd consecutive year!
• 17 Drake Relays records were broken or tied during the weekend - the most number of records broken since the 1985 Relays.
• Minnesota ran the fastest women’s outdoor 4x1,600 relay time in world this year at 19:07.75 on Saturday.
• South Alabama’s Mulzat Ajoke Odomusu, a native of Nigeria, ran the fastest women’s outdoor 400 hurdles in the world at 55.37 on Saturday.
• Northern Iowa posted the second best outdoor 4x800 relay time in world this year at 7:22.42. In case no one has noticed, UNI has a great track team!
• Jim Dilling and Jesse Williams posted the third best outdoor high jump mark at 7-6.50. Seven of the ten top high jumpers in the nation competed at the Relays. These guys were amazing!
• Jeff Hartwig posted the fifth best world outdoor mark in pole vault at 19-0.75.
• Minnesota and Baylor women ran the second and third fastest outdoor distance medley relay times in the world on Friday at 11:08.16 and 11:08.88, respectively.
• Minnesota women ran the second fastest outdoor 4x800 relay time in the world at 8:27.42 on Friday.
• Minnesota women won the triple crown, sweeping the women’s distance relay races (4x1,600, 4x800, distance medley), while setting records in 4x1600 and 4x800 relays.
• Baylor became just the second school to win all four men’s university sprint relay titles (4x100, 4x200, 4x400, sprint medley), joining Illinois which first accomplished the feat in 1944.

Congratulations to the Linn-Mar 4x400 relay team for qualifying for the Saturday final and taking seventh place at 3:25.38. Way to go Wes Shetterly, Josh Pagel, Shawn West, and Zach Braff.

It was a record setting Drake Relays. What an awesome experience for every high school, college, university and elite invitational athlete. The weather was perfect and the crowd was electric. The 2007 Drake Relays lived up to its reputation and proud heritage. You can click on the picture above to see a slide show of the weekend.

Only a few athletes walked away from the Drake Relays with medals. But every participant should be proud of their training, preparation and effort. It was a weekend to enjoy incredible competition, crown victors and to acknowledge champions.