Although only a select number of men's and women's outdoor track athletes traveled to Des Moines, Iowa, Marquette left a lasting mark on the Drake Relays.
"We didn't have a whole lot of people competing," said head coach Dave Uhrich. "But I was really happy with the ones who did compete. The Drake Relays are one of biggest meets in the country and so many good teams go there. Just to be there is something to be excited about."
Athletes had to qualify in order to compete in the Drake Relays on Friday and Saturday. Marquette had several outstanding performances.
Friday, the women's 4×800-meter relay team clocked in at 8 minutes, 55.69 seconds to break a nine-year school record. Michaela Courtney started the race off strong and set the pace for Kristina Malin, Kaitlyn Chambers and Cassie Peller.
"We worked well together," Chambers said. "It was just a team effort and everyone put forth what they had to win."
The Drake Relays marked the second time this season that Marquette competed in the 4×800-meter relay. Marquette placed fifth overall and bested the old school record of 8:56.11.
On Saturday the women's 4×1600-meter relay finished strong in fourth place. Chambers, Peller, Courtney and Tara Hinke clocked in at 20:00.18.
"That was one of the best relays of the season and the highlight of the meet," Uhrich said. "I was really excited that we placed that high because the three teams in front of them were really good."
Marquette finished 12 seconds away from the school record.
"The conditions weren't the best to race in but we had to just go out there and give it our all because everyone else was in the same position," Chambers said.
The men's 1,600-meter sprint medley also battled tough weather conditions that slowed down individual times and prevented the team from breaking the school record. Matt Piekarski, Ray Bratchett, Jon Shaffer and Jed Burey finished at in 10th place at 3:28.12.
"We were hoping that they could get in the top eight, but they just missed that time," Uhrich said.
Individually, Jessica Ehlen placed 16th in the hammer throw with a toss of 49.80m. Although prone to shoulder and knee injuries, Ehlen stayed healthy and performed well over the weekend.
Terri Emond also had a great individual performance in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and earned 11th place with a time of 10:53.18.
"She ran really well," Uhrich said. "That was her best race this year and she just missed qualifying for regionals by three seconds. I think that gave her a lot of confidence and showed that she can do it next week at the conference meet."
Emond had a great performance due to her improved form over barriers and the water jump.
After an outstanding weekend at the Drake Relays, Marquette gears up for the Big East Championships that will take place in Storrs, Conn., on Friday and Saturday.