WHAT'S AHEAD: The Drake men's track and field team will close out its regular season competing in the 99th annual State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Championship in Normal, Ill., this Friday through Sunday.
Activities start at 12 p.m. Friday with finals in the men's hammer throw at 2 p.m., the men's javelin at 6 p.m. and the men's 10,000-meter run at 7:15 p.m. Finals will be held in the men's shot put, long jump, high jump and men's 3,000 steeplechase Saturday, along with qualifying rounds in six running events: 100, 200, 400, 800, 100 hurdles and 400 hurdles. Sunday's schedule starts at 11 a.m. with the pole vault and finishing at 4:05 p.m. with the 4x400 relay.
LAST YEAR: Leyden Tolhurst captured the 1,500-meter run to highlight action for the Drake men's track and field team at the 2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Championship. Tolhurst, who finished runner-up in the mile at the 2009 MVC Indoor meet, was clocked in 3 minutes 53.74 seconds. He also was fourth in the 800 in 1:53.20.
Then Drake junior Jeff Grassmeyer (Fremont, Neb.) was fourth in the 5,000 in 14:44.62. Then Drake freshman Jon DeGrave (Lake Villa, Ill.) was sixth in the 400 hurdles in 54.17. Drake senior Marcus Gaines (Aurora, Colo.) was seventh in the triple jump at 48 feet 2.5 inches.
Drake senior Nate Hix and junior Troy Kimberlin (Rochester, Ill.) were seventh and eighth in the 400 in 49.88 and 50.69 seconds, respectively. Then Drake junior Josh Bangert (Washington, Mo.), who entered the meet owning the league's top outdoor long jump mark at 24-9.25, finished 11th in the finals at 22-2.25.
TRIPLE CROWN: Drake's Jeff Grassmeyer owns the Missouri Valley Conference's top times in both the 1,500 and 5,000-meter runs. Grassmeyer ran a personal best of 3:49.88 in the 1,500 at the Drake Relays, April 24 and owns a league best of 14:14.77 in the 5,000 at the Mt. SAC Relays, April 16. Drake sophomore Jon DeGrave has the league's top time in the 400 hurdles of 51.50 set at the Drake Relays, April 24.
FINAL TUNE-UP: Drake freshman Kevin Harp (Iowa City, Iowa) was sixth in the men's javelin with a throw of 157 feet three inches at the Nebraska Open in Lincoln, Neb., last Saturday. Freshman Isaac Twombly (Baldwin City, Kan.) was 10th in the men's discus at the Central Open
in Pella, Iowa, last Friday, with a personal best of 144-6. Harp was 11th in the men's shot put at 43-4.25.
