April 30, 2005

Relay Record Falls at Drake

Birchard, Frese Have Big Tosses

            Kearney, Neb. –   The women's 4 x 200 relay team led the Nebraska-Kearney effort at the Drake Relays Friday in Des Moines, Ia. In addition, UNK competed at the Nebraska Wesleyan Twilight Open Friday night in Lincoln.

            At Iowa, the foursome of seniors Amanda Maryott (Wayne) and Kate Semin (Bellwood) and juniors Amber Burke (Minden) and Randi Furman (Marshland) ran a school record 1:40.84 in the prelims of the 4 x 200.

            The effort shatters the previous record of 1:42.54, set in 1997. It also help UNK place second in the prelims, trailing only Lincoln U. of Missouri (1:38.44).

            Later in the finals, UNK ran a school record pace again (1:41.11) to place third overall.

            Also in the relays, the 4 x 100 team -- Maryott, Burke, Furman and Cali Cordes (Hooper) -- placed 10^th (48.51) out of 29 teams.

            Central City junior Shauna Birchard had the Lopers other highlight at Drake. She won the first flight in the shot put thanks to a season-high toss of 49-10. She finished eighth overall and placed  ahead of athletes from Georgia, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska.

            Finally, Bertrand senior Mike Ford placed eighth in the pole vault (16-0.75).

            On a frigid night in Lincoln, the Lopers had 24 top five finishes (14 women, 10 men) . Winning their events were Elkhorn senior Lesley Crutcher and Walthill senior Derek Frese.

            Crutcher tied for first in the high jump (5-6) while Frese tied his season-best effort in the discus (175-11).

            Coming in second place were Springfield senior Denise Kolar (400 hurdles/1:04.75), Kearney junior Erin Riedel (3,000 steeplechase/11:54.60), Gering sophomore Katie Schaneman (pole vault/11-6) and a group of five freshmen.

            Those Lopers' included Kearney's Ross Fellows (triple jump/47-0.50) and Brock Steinbrink (1,500/4:04.60), Imperial's Michelle Dill (800/2:20.80), Elgin's Chris Vacha (high jump/6-5) and Taylor Wolfe (100 hurdles/ season-best 14:80) of Curtis.

            Also of note, Red Cloud junior Amber Tiedeman was third in the hammer (157-2.50) and shot (season-best 46-8) while Lincoln senior Andrea Herndon (12:04.50) and Wyoming senior Laura Emmerich (12:14.00) joined Riedel in the top six in the steeplechase.

            UNK competes again May 8-10 at the RMAC Championships in Alamosa, Colo.