Fare and Moreland claim titles in field events as Morton breaks program record in decathlon
By PJ Recker, UNI Athletics
DES MOINES, Iowa — The 115th edition of the historic Drake Relays saw more history be made for the UNI track and field team this week as a pair of Panther field athletes claimed their first career Drake Relays crowns with another breaking an 18-year old school record.
Katie Fare captured the meet title in the women’s shot put championship as Josie Moreland set a new career-best mark in the women’s high jump, extending UNI’s streak of crowning at least one Drake Relays champion to four years. Meanwhile, Carter Morton, competing this outdoor season unattached, set a new high-water mark in the two-day decathlon event.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Following Spencer Kessel appearance in the inaugural Drake Relays men’s World Shot Put series and a throw of over 60 feet on Wednesday, Thursday’s competition began as Morton placed second and broke Raven Capeda’s 2007 school record by 44 points, winning both the high jump and javelin events with 7,882 total points. Zach Butcher (7,052 points) and Brody Lovell (6,189 points) followed behind finishing sixth and eleventh respectively in the decathlon, as Joey Perry competed for the Panthers in the heptathlon, posting 5,174 points and finishing in fourth.
Emma Hoins collected a seventh-place finish in the women’s unseeded 1,500-meter run (4:27.02), with Chase Knoche taking sixth-place in the unseeded 800 meters (1:50.70). Caleb Shumaker clocked a 30:19.98 in the men’s 10,000-meter run invite, as Amelia Hill (unattached) ran a 16:52.94 in the women’s unseeded and open 5,000 meters.
On Friday, David Russell (17.66m) and Sebastian Swistak (17.40m) opened the morning by showing out in the men’s shot put with second and fifth place performances respectively.Paige Kisley, Caroline Benfeldt-Sorensen, Libby Wedewer and Jessica Kyne placed ninth as a unit in the 4×100-meter relay in 47.02 seconds, while the team of Hunter Manock, Jerome Jessup, Luke Meyers and Deonte Dean finished sixth on the men’s relay in 40.98 seconds. Carlie Jo Fusco (1:01.19) took tenth with a new career-best time for the Panthers in the women’s 400-meter hurdles, as Eva Van De Mortel (11.91) clocked a career-best mark in the prelims of the 100-meter dash.
Friday’s evening action began with a strong showing from Katie Fare, who won the women’s shot put championship (17.23m). Kessel continued the momentum for the Panthers in the men’s shot put championships, throwing for 18.38 meters and a third-place finish, as Carson Lienau took seventh (17.17m) and Josey Dunbar took third in the women’s long jump (5.93m). UNI closed out the Friday night with a fourth-place finish with Drake Hanson, Derek Woods, Knoche and Jake Bosch taking fourth in the men’s 4×800-meter relay (7:28.03), as Giada Grimes, Maya Williams, Fusco and Jersey Jones took sixth in the women’s 4×200-meter relay (1:39.76).
The final day of the Drake Relays began with history in the jumping pits as Moreland set a career-best mark of 1.78 meters to win the women’s high jump title with the second-highest height cleared in outdoor team history. Justice Miller earned fourth in the men’s javelin championships (65.09m) as Davis Brogan notched a career-best throw of 56.11 meters in the men’s javelin in the university/college division
In relay action, the women’s 4×400-meter team of Perry, Fusco, Williams and Jones finishes in third place (3:42.89), with the Panther men’s squad of Zach Fall, Parker Kiewiet, Chase Knoche and Hanson finishing fourth in the men’s 4×400-meter relay invitational (3:11.47). Knoche, Jake Bosch, Hanson and Chase Lauman also took fifth in the men’s distance medley relay (9:46.61), as the men’s 4×100-meter relay of Manock, Drew Bartels, Meyers and Dean placed fourth (40.71).