FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
Results
DES MOINES, Iowa (Apr. 28, 2012) - Facing some of the nation's best competition, the North Central College men's track and field proved equal to the task at the 103rd annual Drake Relays, establishing a new school record and turning in some of this season's top performances throughout the NCAA Division III ranks.
The fourth-ranked Cardinals' top finish of the weekend came in the 4-by-200-meter relay, as Jon Caron, Bai Kabba, Dionte Hackler and Jon Howard finished second in 1 minutes, 26.08 seconds to miss the school record in the event by just .02 of a second. The quartet also teamed up in the 4x400 relay, turning in a season-best time of 3:13.16 in Friday's preliminary heats to qualify for Saturday's final.
The Cardinals improved their time once again in the final, hititng the finish line in 3:11.65 to place third overall. North Central's time ranks it second nationally in Division III, behind only the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, which won Saturday's race in 3:10.75.
North Central got a fifth-place finish in the pole vault from Josh Winder, who tied his outdoor personal best with a clearance of 17 feet, 4 1/4 inches to come in first among all non-Division I entrants. Winder's mark is the top outdoor performance in Division III this season.
The Cardinals got a school-record performance in the shuttle hurdle relay, as Joey Michals, Kalen Petty, Mike Varela and Kyle Pembrook finished sixth with a time of 1:01.15. The previous North Central record of 1:01.45 had stood since 2002.
North Central's participation in the meet opened with the 10,000-meter run on Thursday, as Dan Kerley placed seventh in a field of 30 competitors in a personal-best time of 29:58.23. Kerley now owns the seventh-fastest time in Division III this season and ranks seventh-fastest in North Central history.
The Cardinals had one other top-10 finish, as Juliano Lodi, Mustapha Olaoye, Pat Foley and John Crain placed ninth in the distance medley relay (10:09.28).
North Central travels to Illinois Wesleyan University on Friday and Saturday for the 2012 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Outdoor Championships. The Cardinals will be seeking their 34th CCIW outdoor title.
