University of Northern Iowa
Drake Relays
Panthers crown two champions on final day of Drake Relays
4/29/2023 7:22:00 PM | Track and Field
Wilson sets new school record in hammer throw, while Trousil earns second Drake Relays title of collegiate career.
DES MOINES, Iowa — Makenna Wilson and Isaiah Trousil closed the 113th running of the historic Drake Relays for UNI track and field on Saturday afternoon, earning their first collegiate champions flags at Drake Stadium.
Wilson, who placed fifth in the women's discus and sixth in the shot put on Friday, earned her first-ever Drake Relays title in the hammer throw, recording a school record toss of 64.64 meters in her sixth and final throw of the afternoon. This is the second time the Charleston, Illinois native has won the hammer throw this outdoor season, after clinching the title at the Wartburg Outdoor Select.
Trousil, a four-time Drake Relays high school champion at West Burlington High School, took home first place in the men's 100-meter dash on Saturday with a winning time of 10.14 seconds. The UNI redshirt senior entered the event as the top-seed after running a 10.30 second mark in Friday's preliminary heats.
Trousil becomes the second Panther to win the men's 100-meters on the Blue Oval, joining Brandon Carnes in 2016 and 2017. He finished second in the 100-meters last year and won the 200-meters. Junior Tinashe Chigudu meanwhile placed fifth for the Panthers with a time of 10.53 seconds.
Jack Sumners clocked a career-best time of 14.04 second in the men's 110-meter hurdle finals to finish in third place. Entering the finals in a tie for the second-best seed, Sumners medaled in the event for the second time this weekend, after winning the 110-meter hurdle title at Simpson's Kip Janvrin Open on Thursday in Indianola.
In the pole vault, Brendan Safley earned third place in the men's competition after clearing 4.86 meters, while Rylie Todd took sixth in the women's high jump with a leap of 1.63 meters. Jacob Baier also threw a career-best mark of 58.34 in the men's hammer throw in an eighth place finish.
Fresh off recording the second-fastest men's 4x100-meter relay time in school history in Friday's prelims, Chigudu, Luke Meyers, Trousil and Deonte Dean picked up silver medal honors with a time of 39.98. The women's 4x100-meter team of Madelyn Sanda, Rylan Santi, Ariana Yaklich and Libby Wedewer placed fifth in 46.46 seconds.
The women's sprint medley relay team of Emily Vos, Jill Bennett, Auriona Kimbrough and Sophia Jungling crossed the finish line with a time of 4:01.13 to take home second place, while the men's distance medley combination of David Holesinger II, Titus Jackson, Chase Knoche and Drake Hanson took ninth (10:25.33).
UP NEXT
UNI returns to action next Friday at the USD Tune-Up in Vermillion, South Dakota,, its final competition ahead of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Championships, May 12-14 in Normal, Illinois.
Players Mentioned
