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Drake University Athletics

Women Set Three School Records, Tie Another At Drake Relays

Women's Track and Field Drake Athletics

Women Set Three School Records, Tie Another At Drake Relays

DES MOINES, IOWA -- The Drake women's track and field team continued its assault on the school record books by setting three marks while equaling another during the 101st running of the Drake Relays this past weekend.

Junior Ari Curtis (Fort Collins, Colo.) played a role in three of the school marks.

Curtis ran the 800 leg on the distance medley relay that finished sixth in the women's university division Friday in 11 minutes 31.96 seconds to better the previous school mark of 11:32.35 set in 1994.

Junior Casey McDermott (Newton,Iowa) got things started by running the open 1,200-meter leg followed by junior Beth Hamling (Council Bluffs, Iowa) running the 400, then Curtis and senior Nicole Braunsdorf (St. Francis, Wis.) anchoring the 1,600 leg.

Curtis came back Saturday morning to run the anchor on the shuttle hurdle relay which set a school mark of 59.74, breaking the school record of 1:01.73 set in 2004. Other members of the record-setting shuttle hurdle relay were the freshmen trio of Marissa Smith (Ajax, Ontario, Canada), Emily James (Clive, Iowa) and Sarah Yeager (Ottumwa, Iowa).

Curtis set a school record in the 400 hurdles for the third time this spring by placing sixth in 59.03 seconds, to lower her previous school mark of 59.27 set April 10 at the Jim Duncan Invitational.

Junior Johanna Sprang (New Brighton, Minn.) tied the school outdoor pole vault mark of 11 feet 7.75 inches en route to tying for 18th place in the women's university-college field.

McDermott and Braunsdorf each ran personal bests in the university-college 1,500 to place fifth (4:28.48) and seventh (4:28.81), respectively.

Freshman Briana Isom-Brummer (St. Louis, Mo.) opened the Drake Relays by finishing 11th in the heptathlon with a personal best of 4,404 points.

Junior Meredith Bell (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) was 13th in the 10,000 in 38:14.66. Senior Tara Scieszinski (Albia, Iowa) ran a personal best 38:35.01 to place 14th in the 10,000.

The Bulldogs were 22nd in the university sprint medley relay in 4:09.73 behind Hamling, Smith, senior Caitlin Able (Aurora, Colo.) and junior Clarissa LaFlora (Kewanee, Ill.).

Drake assistant track and field coach Kelly Parriott won the Grand Blue Mile Corporate Challenge women's race in 5:41.76.

In qualifying heats, junior Cambria Pardner (Aurora, Colo.) was timed in 12.72 in the university-college 100, while Yeager and Smith were clocked in 15.14 and 15.15, respectively.

The Drake women's track and field program has now set four outdoor school records this spring, while tying another.

Earlier, Curtis set a school record in the heptathlon with 4,998 points en route to a second-place finish at the Kansas Relays.
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Players Mentioned

Caitlin Able

Caitlin Able

Sprints
Freshman
Nicole Braunsdorf

Nicole Braunsdorf

Distance
Sophomore
Meredith Bell

Meredith Bell

Distance
Sophomore
Ari Curtis

Ari Curtis

Sprints
Sophomore
Beth Hamling

Beth Hamling

Sprints
Sophomore
Clarissa LaFlora

Clarissa LaFlora

Sprints
Sophomore
Casey McDermott

Casey McDermott

Distance
Sophomore
Cambria Pardner

Cambria Pardner

Sprints
Sophomore
Johanna Sprang

Johanna Sprang

Pole Vault
Sophomore
Briana Isom-Brummer

Briana Isom-Brummer

Multis/V. Jumps
Freshman
Emily James

Emily James

Sprints/Hurdles
Freshman
Marissa Smith

Marissa Smith

Sprints/Hurdles
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Caitlin Able

Caitlin Able

Freshman
Sprints
Nicole Braunsdorf

Nicole Braunsdorf

Sophomore
Distance
Meredith Bell

Meredith Bell

Sophomore
Distance
Ari Curtis

Ari Curtis

Sophomore
Sprints
Beth Hamling

Beth Hamling

Sophomore
Sprints
Clarissa LaFlora

Clarissa LaFlora

Sophomore
Sprints
Casey McDermott

Casey McDermott

Sophomore
Distance
Cambria Pardner

Cambria Pardner

Sophomore
Sprints
Johanna Sprang

Johanna Sprang

Sophomore
Pole Vault
Briana Isom-Brummer

Briana Isom-Brummer

Freshman
Multis/V. Jumps
Emily James

Emily James

Freshman
Sprints/Hurdles
Marissa Smith

Marissa Smith

Freshman
Sprints/Hurdles