Northwestern University Athletics
Four Wildcats Ready To Race In 106th Drake Relays
4/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country & Track
April 22, 2015
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Four Wildcats runners will compete against some of the best in the nation this weekend at the 106th edition of the prestigious Drake Relays. Junior Elena Barham, sophomores Andrea Ostenso and Jena Pianin, and freshman Isabel Seidel will run at "America's Athletic Classic" in Drake Stadium.
2015 Drake Relays -- Entry List
2015 Drake Relays -- RESULTS
Since the inaugural event in 1910, the Drake Relays have evolved into one of the most significant and respected track & field events in the United States. Many Olympic gold medalists have competed at Drake Stadium including Michael Johnson, Carl Lewis, Jesse Owens, Wilma Rudolph, Frank Shorter, Gwen Torrence, and Jeremy Wariner. Hundreds more Drake Relays competitors have gone onto compete in the Olympic Games, including 113 former athletes at the 2012 Olympics.
"The Drake Relays allow our program to showcase Northwestern's top runners in a very prestigious event," said Wildcats head coach April Likhite. "The fact that we have individuals running at Drake shows the exciting progress our program is making. Most importantly, those student-athletes are getting the opportunity to compete against some of the best runners in the country."
Northwestern's weekend in Des Moines begins on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. when Elena Barham competes in the 10,000m race with a field that includes runners from Ohio State, Minnesota, Georgia and Missouri. The Madison, Wis., native earned a Top-6 finish in the 3000m event at last weekend's Illinois Twilight.
On Thursday at 8:40 p.m., Andi Ostenso and Jena Pianin will be at the starting line for the 5000m. Both sophomores competed in the 1500m race last weekend in Champaign, with Pianin finishing fourth and her classmate right behind in sixth. Finally, on Saturday morning at 10:40 a.m., freshman Isabel Seidel will battle a talented field in the 3000m Steeplechase to wrap up competition for the Wildcats.
The Drake Relays have welcomed a capacity crowd (14,504) on the final day of competition for 48 consecutive years. The 2014 event drew a total attendance of 45,838 during the multi-day competition.
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