Drake Relays Review, Thursday 4/28
Kevin Lewis, Shelby Houlihan, and Alex Gochenour won their first of what could eventually be triples in the opening day (Thursday, 4/28) of the 2011 Drake Relays .
In the boys’ 3200m, Lewis (Ottumwa) ran a dual with defending champion Johnny Fuller (Glenwood) until the last 300m, then pulled away as Fuller faltered, to win by 18 seconds. In the process, he set a new Drake relays record 9:05.58, breaking the old record of 9:06.3 set by Mark Johnson, Mason City during the pre-aerobic based training era, 1973. In the girls’ 3000, Houlihan (Sioux City East) was challenged only by Alana Enabnit (Clear Lake) throughout, but ran free the final 800 to a 9:56.71 win. Enabnit held on for second in 10:07.14.
The 3200 is Lewis’s best event, so should get challenges from others including Fuller if he can recover, in the 800 Friday and 1600 Saturday. Houlihan has her best events yet to go, and should complete the 800-1500-3000 triple over the next two days, challenging Drake and State records.
Gochenour (Logan-Magnolia) used her big-meet experience to advantage in the first of her four individual events, the long jump, winning in a modest 18’2”. While she’ll also compete in the 100m, her best events are the 100 and 400 hurdles where she should dominate.
Other Thursday winners were Jordan Cress from tiny Class A school Olin in the boys’ high jump, 6’8”; Eric Simmons from the almost as small Madrid in the boys’ shot put, 59’1 ¾”; and Dakota Goodell (Williamsburg/IMS) in the girls’ discus, 140’0”.