April 28, 2007
Des Moines, Iowa - Illini sophomore Lesiba Masheto added to the rich tradition Illinois has had in the long history of the Drake Relays by winning the Special Invitational 400m dash Saturday in the front of a sellout crowd at Drake Stadium. Masheto's win upped Illinois' victory total at the Drake Relays to 133, the most among any college in the 98-year history of the event, and highlighted a successful day for the Orange and Blue that produced five other top-six finishes and two new regional qualifiers.
Masheto, the only collegian in the world class special invitational field, ran a 46.24 to edge Mitch Potter for the title. Masheto had not run the 400m in over a month since he ran a 45.41 at the Willie Williams Classic on March 17, a time that ranked No. 1 in the nation entering the weekend.
"We've won a title at Drake every year since I've been here, so it's good to keep the tradition going," said fourth-year head coach Wayne Angel. "Masheto beat some of the best 400m runners in the country today, including a former Olympic Medalist. I'm very proud of the way he's performing, especially considering this is only the second time he's run the 400 this season."
Junior Nick Brown took second place in the triple jump with a personal best-tying and regional qualifying leap of 51'7.25". Senior Jon Houseworth ran a regional qualifying time of 9:00.86 in the 3,000m steeplechase to take third place, while senior Maciej Sniegorski ran a 9:10.88 to take eighth place.
The Illini also enjoyed some success in the 400m hurdles, as senior Adrian Walker took fifth with a regional qualifying time of 51.06 and freshman Joey Hodges became a new regional qualifier with a time of 51.57 to take ninth place. Sophomore Greg Shroka took fifth in the high jump with a leap of 6'8.75" and Bryan Pratt finished sixth in the 110m hurdles with a time of 14.12 to round out the weekend.
After another successful weekend at Drake, Angel is encouraged with his team with the Big Ten Championships on the horizon May 11-13.
"Overall, I'm very pleased with our performances this weekend," Angel said. "Our guys competed well, were consistent, and showed some improvement. As we approach Big Tens in two weeks I'm guardedly optimistic. We've made some big steps so far and it looks like things are starting to gel, but we have to keep improving and do it when it counts."
Full results for the Drake Relays can be found at drakerelays.com.
Illinois Drake Relays Results // Saturday, April 28, 2007
Special Invitational 400m
1. Lesiba Masheto 46.24 R
Triple Jump
2. Nick Brown 51'7.25" (15.73m) R*
3,000m Steeplechase
3. Jon Houseworth 9:00.86 R
8. Maciej Sniegorski 9:10.88
High Jump
5. Greg Shroka 6'8.75" (2.05m)
400m Hurdles
5. Adrian Walker 51.06 R
9. Joey Hodges 51.57 R
28. Anthony Young 55.91
110m Hurdles
6. Bryan Pratt 14.12
* - Indicates Personal Record
R - Indicates New Regional Qualifier
