WHAT'S AHEAD: Drake will send six athletes to the NCAA West Regional Track and Field Championship at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, this Thursday through Saturday (May 27-29). It will mark the most athletes the Drake track and field program has qualified for the NCAA Regionals since also sending six in 2005.

The top finishers in each regional event will advance to the NCAA Championship June 9-12 in Eugene, Ore.

Drake freshman Kevin Harp (Iowa City, Iowa) will get things started by competing in the qualifying round of the men's javelin on May 27 at 12 p.m.
 
Drake sophomore Jon DeGrave (Lake Villa, Ill.) will run in the first round of the men's 400 intermediate hurdles on May 27 at 3:30 p.m. Junior Ari Curtis (Fort Collins, Colo.) will compete in the first round of the women's 400 intermediate hurdles on May 27 at 4 p.m. The quarterfinal rounds in both events will start at 7 p.m. on May 28.

Drake senior Nicole Braunsdorf (St. Francis, Wis.) and junior Casey McDermott (Newton, Iowa) will run in the first round of the women's 1,500 at 5 p.m., hoping to advance into Saturday's quarterfinal round that starts at 6:30 p.m.

Drake senior Jeff Grassmeyer (Fremont, Neb.) will run in the 5,000 at 8:45 p.m. Saturday.

SIZING UP THE BULLDOGS: Ari Curtis enters the regional owning the 10th best overall time among the 48 entrants in the 400 hurdles. She lowered her school record in the 400 hurdles en route to a runner-up finish at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship May 16 in Normal, Ill. 

Curtis was timed in 58.27 seconds, toppling her previous school mark of 59.03.



Curtis capped off the meet by running the anchor leg on Drake's 4x400 relay which finished fifth in 3:46.08 that marked the fourth fastest time in school history.


Jon DeGrave won the 400 intermediate hurdles in a personal best time of 51.27 at the State Farm MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships May 16.

 His time ranks 22nd among the 48 entrants in the NCAA Regional field.

DeGrave became just the fourth athlete in Drake history to win the league title in the 400 hurdles, joining Dave Carlson who captured the league crown twice in 1966 and 1967, along with Dan Cleveland (1983) and Theotto Lillard (2005).


This will mark the second straight year both Braunsdorf and McDermott have qualified for the NCAA Regionals. Braunsdorf ran in the 5,000 and McDermott competed in the 3,000 steeplechase in 2009. Braunsdorf was fifth in the 1,500 at the 2010 MVC meet in 4:31.80, while McDermott was sixth in the 5,000 in 17:17.57. McDermott ran a personal best of 4:28.48 at the Drake Relays, while Braunsdorf also posted a personal best in the 1500 at the Drake Relays in 4:28.81.


Jeff Grassmeyer ran a personal best of 14:14.27 at the Mt. SAC Relays. It will mark his second appearance in the NCAA Regional after competing in the 5,000 in 2007. He was third in both the 1,500 and 5,000 at the MVC Championship. Grassmeyer was timed in 3:54.89 in the 1,500, while being clocked in 14:29.79 en route to a third-place finish in the 5,000.

Kevin Harp set a school record in the men's javelin with a throw of 202 feet six inches en route to a fourth-place finish at the MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships last Friday (May 14). Harp unleashed the record throw on his second attempt, while bettering the previous school mark of 190-0 by Dan Beattie in 1989.

WOMEN'S MVC RECAP: Drake junior Johanna Sprang (New Brighton, Minn.) set a school record in the women's pole vault at 12 feet en route to a fifth-place finish at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship. 

Sprang topped the previous mark of 11-7.75 set by Jess Hetcko in 2004.

 It marked the tenth school record set during the outdoor campaign by the Drake women's track and field team.

Drake junior Beth Hamling (Council Bluffs, Iowa) was third in the 400-meter dash, running a personal best 55.23 seconds. 

Hamling ran the second leg on the 4x400 relay which also included an opening leg by senior Caitlin Able (Aurora, Colo.) and a third leg by Clarissa LaFlora (Kewanee, Ill.)

Drake freshman Briana Isom-Brummer (St. Louis, Mo.) finished fourth in the heptathlon with 4,336 points. 

Isom-Brummer came close to bettering her personal best heptathlon score of 4,404 points set at the Drake Relays April 22. 

Isom-Brummer, who stood in fifth-place after the first day of competition, closed out the event with a third-place finish in the 800 at 2:29.76.





Drake senior Deidra Dirth (Apple Valley, Minn.) was sixth in the discus at 152-6, recording her best mark on her last throw.
 
Casey McDermott was sixth in the 5,000 in 17:17.57. Senior Courtney Heinz (St. Paul, Minn.) was 19th in the 1,500 in 4:58.84.

Hamling and Ari Curtis posted the fastest qualifying times in the 400 and 400 hurdles, respectively.

 Hamling ran a season best 55.35 to advance into Sunday's finals. Curtis had the fastest time in the 400 hurdles of 59.05, just two hundredths of a second off her school mark of 59.03.



Heinz was sixth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in a season best 11:26.42.

 Drake junior Tyse Samani (Kansas City, Mo.) tied for seventh in the high jump at 5-3.25. 
McDermott just missed advancing into the finals of the 800 after running the ninth fastest overall qualifying time with a season best 2:13.26.

MEN'S MVC RECAP: Drake senior Jeff Grassmeyer was third in both the 1,500 and 5,000-meter runs at the MVC Championship. Grassmeyer was timed in 3:54.89 in the 1,500, while sophomore Charlie Lapham (Golden Valley, Minn.) was fifth in 3:55.96. Sophomore Colin Hagan (Wichita, Kan.) finished 11th in the 1,500 in 4:05.11.

 Grassmeyer was clocked in 14:29.79, en route to a third-place finish in the 5,000.

Drake junior Brandon Lewis (Plymouth, Minn.) was sixth in the 800 in 1:57.23 after running a season best 1:53.21 in the qualifying round. Lapham placed eighth in the finals of the 800 in 1:57.27. Sophomore Shaun James (Lawrence, Kan.) was eighth in the finals of the 200 in 21.77.

Drake senior Troy Kimberlin (Rochester, Minn.) was seventh in the 400 in 49.03. Junior Colin Coomer (Overland Park, Kan.) was seventh in the finals of the 3,000-meter steeplechase in a season-best 9:35.60.

Senior Kevin Earl (Overland Park, Kan.) just missed the 800 finals by posting the ninth fastest overall time of 1:53.90.

 

Sophomore Shaun James (Lawrence, Kan.) made the finals in the 200 after clocking a 21.75 qualifying time. He fell short in qualifying for the 100 finals by posting the ninth fastest overall time of 10.90.



Freshman Dan Karys (Bartlett, Ill.) was ninth in the long jump at 21-11.5, while senior Josh Bangert (Washington, Mo.) was 16th at 20-10. 

Freshman Kevin Harp placed 14th in the shot put at 45-9.75. Drake freshman Isaac Twombly (Baldwin City, Kan.) was 12th in the men's hammer throw at 148-9.