WHAT'S AHEAD: The Drake women's track and field team will close out the indoor season competing in the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championship at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, this Saturday and Sunday.

The meet will get underway Saturday with the men's heptathlon and women's pentathlon. Qualifying heats will be held in seven women's events Saturday with finals contested in the distance medley relay and 3,000 along with the pole vault, 35-pound weight throw and long jump. Action starts Sunday with the women's triple jump and shot put finals at 1 p.m. and the women's mile run final at 1:40 p.m.

PRE-MEET POLL: Drake was picked to finish seventh in the pre-meet MVC poll conducted by the conference coaches. Southern Illinois, earning seven first-place votes, was picked to win the league title followed by Wichita State, Indiana State, Illinois State, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Drake and Bradley.

SIZING UP THE BULLDOGS: Senior Nicole Braunsdorf (St. Francis, Wis.) ranks fourth in the MVC indoor 3,000 top performance list this winter with a 9:57.97 clocking at the Iowa State Classic. She also ranks fifth in the MVC indoor mile this winter with a 4:56.76 clocking at the UNI-Dome last Friday. Braunsdorf was third in the 3,000 and fifth in the mile at the 2009 MVC Indoor meet.

Braunsdorf, senior Caitlin Able (Aurora, Colo.), junior Casey McDermott (Newton, Iowa), junior Kara McCartney (Elgin, Iowa) ran legs on the distance medley relay which was second in the 2009 MVC Indoor meet.

Junior Tyse Samani (Kansas City, Mo.) has leaped 5-7 in the high jump which ranks second on the MVC performance list this winter. She was second in the high jump at the 2009 MVC indoor meet

WOMEN WIN FIVE EVENTS AT UNI-DOME OPEN: The Drake women's indoor track and field team enjoyed its best performance of the season by winning five events at the UNI-Dome Open Friday.

Senior Caitlin Able won the 400 in 59.56 seconds and ran the opening leg on the Bulldogs' winning 4x400 relay which was timed in 4:00.51. Other members of the winning relay were junior Beth Hamling (Council Bluffs, Iowa), junior Kara McCartney and anchor Clarissa LaFlora (Kewanee, Ill.).

Senior Nicole Braunsdorf won the mile in 4:58.68, while junior Tyse Samani won the high jump at five feet 7 inches. Junior Ari Curtis (Fort Collins, Colo.) won the 60 hurdles in 9.11 with freshman Sarah Yeager (Ottumwa, Iowa) fifth in 9.13. Curtis and junior Michelle Mitchell (Brookfield, Wis.) tied for third in the high jump at 5-3.

Freshman Elle Yesnes (Hopkins, Minn.) was second in the 3,000 in 11:37.40. Juniors Molly Scott (Kansas City, Mo.) and Johanna Sprang (New Brighton, Minn.) tied for third in the pole vault at 10-11.75. McCartney was fourth in the 800 in 2:17.61, while junior Cambria Pardner (Aurora Colo.) was fourth in the 60 in 8.12.

McCartney was fourth in the 800 in 2:17.61, while LaFlora was fifth in 2:20.43. Sophomore Megan Pierce-Cramer (Omaha, Neb.) was fifth in the shot put at 40-9.5.

Hamling was fifth in the 200 in 26.22. Freshman Kelly Hendricks (Prospect Heights, Ill.) was fifth in the 60 in 8:13 with Hamling sixth in 8.21. Sophomore Cassie Toepfer (Eagan, Minn.) was sixth in the 400 in 1:02.33.