Completed Event: Track and Field at Bryan Clay Invite on April 16, 2026 ,
Final
Track and Field
Bryan Clay Invite
Iowa State University Athletics
Second Day of Competition Concludes at Drake Relays
04.27.2006 | Track and Field, Track & Field (W)
April 28, 2006
DES MOINES, Iowa - Three-time All-American Ada Anderson finished third in a physical 800-meter race. Anderson was bumped at the beginning of the race, but said that she didn't think it made a difference in her finish.
"It's always physical at the beginning just to get out," said Anderson. "I felt pretty good and I knew we were going to come through the 400 a little slower so I decided to just let someone else lead the race because I'm usually the one to lead so I thought I'd conserve some energy and hold up a little bit."
Anderson stayed in third or fourth place for the majority of the race, but she said she really felt she would be able to catch the top to runners in the last 100 meters.
"I wanted to work my kick at the end, but those other two girls ran really strong," Anderson said. "I thought I could catch them, but that last hundred, that's always been my weakest part of my race I don't know if I need to just lighten up a bit and work on that ending part of my race. I did what I could and now I just have to get ready for Big 12."
Sprints and hurdles coach Scott Roberts said that Ada ran the race with a different approach because of the weather, but he does not think it is the way they should go in the future.
"She wanted someone else to block the wind with it not being a very nice day as far as weather wise," Roberts said. "What we want to do is get out and get the lead because her last quarter is always going to be the same. It was a valuable lesson for us and hopefully we'll avoid doing that again."
Although Anderson is now looking towards the Big 12 Championships, but she said she would have liked to finish her Drake Relays with a title win in the 800 meter. "I wanted to win it because it's my last year, just like Erica I'm tired of second and third place finishes," Anderson said. "I wanted that flag. Big 12 and regionals, that's where it's at and hopefully I can get to nationals."
Both Anderson and teammate Erica Lynn, who finished second in the heptathlon Thursday, will have a final chance to come away with a Drake Relays title when they compete in the sprint medley relay to be held Saturday. Teammates Leia Jackson and Sara Boisen will join Anderson and Lynn to complete the relay team. It will be Anderson and Lynn's final Drake Relays performance as Iowa State Cyclones.
The Cyclone 4x1600-meter relay team clocked a time of 16:33.04 to take third in the event. Freshman Brandon Rooney led off and passed the baton to Jory Zunich. Dan Taylor kept ISU in the pack of the top ten runners and then handed off to NCAA indoor runner-up in the mile, David Rotich. Rotich pulled the team into third place on his third lap but was passed by Missouri. When Rotich passed Missouri in the last one-hundred meters, he solidified the Cyclones third-place finish.
"We wanted to win and it was the deepest field they've had in quite a few years," said men's head coach Steve Lynn. "This year was really strong and we had a good team, but we just got a little too far behind. Brandon's a freshman and Jory's a freshman and it's tough to lead this race off. David moved us up and got us third place and was close to second, but it just wasn't close enough."
Senior Rotich will compete for the 1,500-meter run title on Friday with teammates Taylor and Rooney. Lynn said that he would like to see Rotich, Taylor and Rooney go one, two, three in the race, and that's what he's hoping will happen.
The men's 4x200 meter relay finished sixth during the "Relays Under the Lights" portion of the relays. The team was led off by Tony Stanfield, with Eric Parker and James Robinson following as the second and third legs respectively. Junior Elijah Braimah brought the Cyclones from their third-place position in the lead to win their heat with a time of 1:26.17, good enough for sixth overall.
Final results from Friday's competition can be found at www.drakerelays.com. Drake Relays competition will resume on Saturday with the running events beginning at 8 a.m. and the field events starting at 10 a.m. Competition is set to conclude at 5:16 p.m. with the men's 4x400-meter relay.
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