University of Illinois
Drake Relays
Illini Tie for Second at Drake Relays
April 29, 2017 | Men's Track & Field
Illini score 28 points across five relays
DES MOINES, Iowa. – Illinois men's track and field scored 28 points across five relay events to tie Ohio State for second place in the Hy-Vee Cup standings at the 108th annual Drake Relays. Four-time reigning Hy-Vee Cup champions coming into the meet, the Illini finished runner-up to Iowa's 39 points.
"I'm really proud of the guys and the effort they put forth," said Head Coach Mike Turk. "The weather conditions were really poor all weekend. Several teams packed up and went home or didn't contest their events, but we did. I was really pleased with our sprint medley relay this morning, especially the 200m legs. I think there is value in what we did this weekend. We faced adversity and did our best, and that'll serve us well heading into championship season."
The Illini's sprint medley relay gave the Illini their top relay finish of the weekend, as the unit placed second overall. Comprised of Josh Eiker (200m), Devin Quinn (200m), Kenneth Allen (400m) and Konrad Eiring (800m), the Illini finished the relay in 3:22.75 behind Iowa's time of 3:20.40.
Illinois also earned a pair of third-place relay finishes, first in the distance medley and then in the 4x100m relay.
In the distance relay, the Illini used Garrett Lee (1200m), Joe Haight (400m), Luke Brahm (800m) and Jon Davis (1600m) to run the 4,000m race, finishing in 9:58.10. A 4:13.69 1600m run by Davis on the final leg of the race pushed Illinois past Air Force and Wisconsin for the top-three finish.
Scoring six more points in the 4x100m relay, the Illini bounced back after nearly being disqualified for an illegal pass in prelims on Friday. The team of Cole Henderson, Josh Eiker, Mo Maat and Devin Quinn clocked Illinois' fifth sub-40 second time of the season, crossing the finish line in 39.92.
Illinois' final points of the day came in the 4x400m relay where Joe Haight, David Kendziera, Doug Wilson and Konrad Eiring timed 3:16.11 to take fifth place.
In addition to the relays, the Illini earned top-10 finishes in five individual events. On the track, David Kendziera led the five performances with a runner-up finish in the 400m hurdles, clocking 51.45, while Caleb Hummer added a sixth-place finish in the 3,000m steeplechase with a time of 9:14.40. In field events, Jonathan Wells placed seventh in the high jump (6'9.75") and 10th in the long jump (22'5"), and Matsen Dziedzic marked 187'0" in the hammer throw.
On Friday, Illinoi scored their first relay of the meet, as the quartet of Jon Davis, Tony Zea, Luke Brahm and Konrad Eiring combined to finish in 7:26.76, placing fifth. Brahm and Eiring both closed hard for the Orange and Blue, clocking 1:50.86 and 1:50.00, respectively, in the final 1600 meters.
With the conclusion of the 2017 regular season, the Fighting Illini will turn their focus to preparing for Big Ten Outdoor Championships in two weeks. Held May 12-14, the conference meet will be hosted by Penn State in State College, Pennsylvania.
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Illinois Relay Performances:
2. Sprint Medley: Josh Eiker, Devin Quinn, Kenneth Allen, Konrad Eiring, 3:22.75 – 8 points
3. Distance Medley: Garrett Lee (3:03.35), Joe Haight (47.66), Luke Brahm (1:53.39), Jon Davis (4:13.69) 9:58.10 - 6 points
3. 4x100m: Cole Henderson, Josh Eiker, Mo Maat, Devin Quinn, 39.92 – 6 points
5. 4x400m: Joe Haight, David Kendziera, Doug Wilson, Konrad Eiring, 3:16.11 – 4 points
5. 4x800m: Jon Davis, Tony Zea, Luke Brahm, Konrad Eiring, 7:26.76 – 4 points
Team Standings (out of 20):
1.Iowa – 39
2.Illinois – 28
2.Ohio State – 28
4.Minnesota – 14
5.Northern Iowa – 13
6.Oklahoma - 10
