Photo: File photo
The Drake track and field teams returned to action at the Razorback Spring Invitational hosted by Arkansas following a monthlong break between the indoor and outdoor seasons.
The Bulldog throwers highlighted the action for the men’s team in Arkansas. Sophomore Isaac Twombly placed third in the hammer throw after a throw of 145 feet, 10 inches and ninth in the discus with a toss of 136 feet.
“Coach [Mark] Kostek has been working with [Twombly] on breaking down his form and building it back up in the offseason,” head coach Natasha Brown said.
Freshman Phillip Beeler finished fifth in the javelin with a throw of 197 feet, 5 inches. Sophomore Kevin Harp finished just behind Beeler with a toss of 186 feet, 9 inches for a sixth-place finish.
Freshman Andy Curtis finished fifth in the hammer throw after registering a toss of 131 feet, 10 inches.
Junior Jon DeGrave sprinted to a second-place finish with a time of 52.75 seconds in his return to the 400-meter hurdles, which is not run during the indoor season.
Freshmen Omet Kak and Brogan Austin and junior Charlie Lapham crossed the finish line in a pack during the 1,500-meter run, finishing 12th, 15th and 16th, respectively.
Senior Colin Coomer ran to a sixth-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:01.25.
Sophomore Marissa Smith started the outdoor season exactly how she ended the indoor season for the women’s squad, setting another personal best. Smith sprinted to a seventh-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 14.35 seconds. Sophomore Sarah Yeager finished the race in 12th place with a time of 15.02 seconds.
Senior Tyse Samani tied for fourth in the high jump after clearing a height of 5 feet, 3 inches. Senior Johanna Sprang cleared 10 feet, 10 inches in the pole vault, finishing tied for 14th.
Senior Ari Curtis placed 11th in the 800-meter with a time of 2:15.90. Fellow senior Kara McCartney followed Curtis across the finish line for a 12th place finish, clocking in at 2:16.14. Curtis did not compete in the 400-meter hurdles, which is the event she is ranked 20th in the country by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll. Senior Cambria Pardner sprinted to 12th in the 100-meter dash for the Bulldogs, clocking in at 12.22 seconds. Pardner placed eighth in the triple jump by registering a distance of 37 feet, 7 inches.
Junior Megan Pierce-Cramer’s toss of 128 feet, 2 inches was good enough for a fifth-place finish in the discus.
“We knew that this meet would be tough,” Brown said in a press release after the meet. “Not only is it our first competition since late February, but we competed against teams in larger conferences.”
The Bulldogs also sent athletes to compete at the Central Invite in Pella, Iowa.
Sophomore Kelly Hendricks placed second in the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.07 seconds after a time of 12.82 seconds in her qualifying heat.
Freshman Alex Kaster brought home the triple jump title, covering a distance of 42 feet, 10.75 inches. Freshman Jason Wood placed second in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 16.26 seconds.
The Bulldogs return to action this weekend at the Tom Botts Invitational in Columbia, Mo. Other team members will compete in the Duke Invitational in Raleigh N.C., and in the Texas Relays in Austin.