ISU to Contend for Drake Titles

AMES, Iowa- The Iowa State women's track and field team will travel to Des Moines, for the 97th annual Drake Relays, one of the nation's most prestigious outdoor meets. The relays carnival is expected to bring in nearly 40,000 fans and competitors from across the country.

“Its one of the two best spectator and competitor meets in the country,” said head coach Dick Lee. “It is the only time that our kids will see a meet that has a full house. There is always a lot of excitement and people perform at high levels because of it. The Drake crowd is super because they support everyone. The fans are very knowledgeable and it's a great atmosphere.”

The Cyclone squad will bring contenders in a variety of events including its shuttle hurdle relay team. Senior Rebecca Williams will run the lead leg for the hurdle crew. Williams, already a regional qualifier, owns the school record in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.31 seconds.

Williams will be followed by West Des Moines native Sara Boisen. The senior will be running in her final Drake Relays and will also compete in the 400-hurdles. She finished ninth overall in that event last season. Last weekend in Arkansas, Boisen ran the 100-meter hurdles in 14.68 seconds.

Junior Megan Nielsen will run the third leg of shuttle hurdle relay. Nielsen has made vast improvements since becoming a Cyclone in 2005. The Altoona native shattered her personal-best time last weekend at the John McDonnell Invite, clocking a time of 14.48 seconds, more than a half a second faster than her previous best.

Anchoring for the Cyclones will be Jenna Caffrey. The Burlington native has already run times that make her the fastest freshman hurdler in school history. Caffrey, nursing a tight hip, ran her fastest 100-meter hurdle time of the season last weekend, crossing the finish line with a time of 13.72 seconds. That effort qualified her for the NCAA Regional Championships.

“We have been looking forward to running the shuttle hurdle relay all year long,” said sprints and hurdles coach Scott Roberts. “We are very confident that we can make finals and do well. It is the Drake Relays and there is always tough competition. Anything can happen.”

Also expected to make a run at a coveted Drake Relays title is distance runner Lisa Koll. The freshman will compete in the 5,000-meter run against a field packed with prolific athletes. Koll has already proven herself this season, earning All-American accolades in cross country and demolishing multiple school records during the track season.

“I know she will give it her best effort,” Lee said. “She is back feeling 100 percent and if things go well for her, she has a shot to win it. Lisa wants to put herself in a position where she has a shot to contend for a title”

Senior Jenny Mockler will compete in Drake Stadium this weekend. Mockler has exploded in her final season as Cyclone, recording 10 first-place finishes in five different events. Mockler will be competing in the 800-meter run where her best time this season came at the Disney Invitational with a time of 2:09.02.

“Jenny is in very good shape for this time of the season. It is her last year in an Iowa State uniform racing at Drake and I think she will perform well,” said Lee.

Standout jumper Agata Kosuda will compete for the first time this outdoor season in the triple jump. The Poland native already holds the school record in the event with a leap of 44-11 1/2 at the Big 12 Championships in 2005.

“I definitely think Agata will be in the mix to compete for a top spot,” said jumps coach Ron McEachran. “I am very excited to watch her triple jump for the first time this season. Our goal is to get her regionally qualified and I think we can do it.”

Kosuda will also compete in the long jump along with teammate Priya Hoze, who has had a breakout season consistently jumping over 19 feet at each meet.

The women's track and field team will begin competition on Thursday at 6:20 p.m. with Koll in the 5,000-meter run. Complete results will be posted on cyclones.com.

Players Mentioned

Sara Boisen

Jenna Caffrey

Priya Hoze

Priya Hoze

Priya Hoze

Lisa Koll

Lisa Koll

Agata Kosuda

Agata Kosuda

Jenny Mockler

Megan Nielsen

Rebecca Williams

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics