Thursday, April 25
Des Moines, IA
Gonzaga University
at
Drake Relays
Track: Zags Wrap up Weekend at Drake Relays with New Program DMR Records
4/27/2024 1:28:00 PM | Track and Field
DES MOINES, Iowa – On their final day of the Drake Relays at Drake Stadium on Saturday, Gonzaga men's and women's track competed in a pair distance medley relays on the blue oval. The women opened with a fourth-place finish while setting a new program record, and the men followed up with a third-place finish and a record of their own, just one day after winning the 4x1600 on Friday.
In the women's race, it was Ellie Armbruster, Alicia Anderson, Willow Collins, and Kristen Garcia who combined for the new top program mark. Less than three seconds separated the Zags from first after the first half of the race, who were in third at the time behind Utah and Notre Dame. A strong finish from Kentucky vaulted the Wildcats ahead of GU as Notre Dame pulled out the win while Utah finished second.
That didn't stop the Bulldogs from an 11:24.48 finish which set the new program record.
In the men's race that followed, Jacob Alfonso, Carp Mukai, Sam Geiger, and Wil Smith returned to the blue oval after winning the 4x1600m relay on Friday. Alfonso led off in the 1200-meter leg, posting a 2:59.59 with a 56-second final lap. Mukai's 49.10 in the 400-meter leg had Gonzaga just a second-and-a-half behind the leader. Geiger kept pace with a 1:49.94 at the 800m with just a 1.3-second gap behind the leader.
Like Friday, Smith anchored the relay for the Zags, running the fastest mile in the top three and second-fastest overall to cap off a new program record.
The top three teams never changed throughout the race, with Bradley holding a steady lead and Air Force right behind. Gonzaga finished third overall with a time of 9:44.59, less than a second behind the winner and over five seconds ahead of Illinois State in fourth.
UP NEXT
Gonzaga will travel to Hayward Field for the Oregon Twilight meet on May 3. The venue will play as the host site for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in June, giving the Zags a chance to race in Eugene before hopefully returning one month later. Follow @ZagRunning on social media, and check gozags.com for the latest updates and live results.
FRIDAY
Gonzaga track returned to the blue oval for day two of the Drake Relays on Friday, where the men secured a victory in the 4x1600m relay later in the morning.
Jacob Alfonso, Sam Geiger, Carp Mukai, and Wil Smith were the four who competed in the event, snagging a first-place finish (16:50.57) by just three-tenths of a second over a squad from meet-host Drake.
The Zags were as deep as sixth place after the first mile but worked their way up to the lead heading into the final leg. Smith was the anchor of the group and went neck and neck with Drake's Aidan Simon down the final stretch before coming out on top.
The women opened their second day of the meet with Ellie Armbruster in the 800m, who finished with a time of 2:10.50.
Tommy O'Neil was the final Zag male to compete on the day, running his 800m in 1:55.51.
Alicia Anderson and Willow Collins wrapped up Gonzaga's day two in the 1500-meter late Friday evening, with Anderson (4:19.88) just missing a PR and Collins (4:27.03) just a few seconds behind.
THURSDAY
Rosina Machu returned to the track for the first time since the Stanford Invitational with yet another program record, this time a new top 5K mark on the first day of the Drake Relays at Drake Stadium.
Her 15:41.46 finish puts her within the current qualification parameters for the NCAA West Prelims in Fayetteville with about a month to go. Machu is already a near lock to qualify for the 10,000-meter prelim, sitting third in the West Region and 11th nationally.
Among other races on the first day at Drake, Jessica Frydenlund just missed a PR in the 3000-meter steeplechase, finishing in 10:38.99. Her current season-best of 10:30.24 is 35th in the West Region and will need to hold before the qualification deadline.
On the men's side, Mason Kissell and Nick Braz ran the 5K to conclude the Zags' day.
In the women's race, it was Ellie Armbruster, Alicia Anderson, Willow Collins, and Kristen Garcia who combined for the new top program mark. Less than three seconds separated the Zags from first after the first half of the race, who were in third at the time behind Utah and Notre Dame. A strong finish from Kentucky vaulted the Wildcats ahead of GU as Notre Dame pulled out the win while Utah finished second.
That didn't stop the Bulldogs from an 11:24.48 finish which set the new program record.
In the men's race that followed, Jacob Alfonso, Carp Mukai, Sam Geiger, and Wil Smith returned to the blue oval after winning the 4x1600m relay on Friday. Alfonso led off in the 1200-meter leg, posting a 2:59.59 with a 56-second final lap. Mukai's 49.10 in the 400-meter leg had Gonzaga just a second-and-a-half behind the leader. Geiger kept pace with a 1:49.94 at the 800m with just a 1.3-second gap behind the leader.
Like Friday, Smith anchored the relay for the Zags, running the fastest mile in the top three and second-fastest overall to cap off a new program record.
The top three teams never changed throughout the race, with Bradley holding a steady lead and Air Force right behind. Gonzaga finished third overall with a time of 9:44.59, less than a second behind the winner and over five seconds ahead of Illinois State in fourth.
UP NEXT
Gonzaga will travel to Hayward Field for the Oregon Twilight meet on May 3. The venue will play as the host site for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in June, giving the Zags a chance to race in Eugene before hopefully returning one month later. Follow @ZagRunning on social media, and check gozags.com for the latest updates and live results.
FRIDAY
Gonzaga track returned to the blue oval for day two of the Drake Relays on Friday, where the men secured a victory in the 4x1600m relay later in the morning.
Jacob Alfonso, Sam Geiger, Carp Mukai, and Wil Smith were the four who competed in the event, snagging a first-place finish (16:50.57) by just three-tenths of a second over a squad from meet-host Drake.
The Zags were as deep as sixth place after the first mile but worked their way up to the lead heading into the final leg. Smith was the anchor of the group and went neck and neck with Drake's Aidan Simon down the final stretch before coming out on top.
The women opened their second day of the meet with Ellie Armbruster in the 800m, who finished with a time of 2:10.50.
Tommy O'Neil was the final Zag male to compete on the day, running his 800m in 1:55.51.
Alicia Anderson and Willow Collins wrapped up Gonzaga's day two in the 1500-meter late Friday evening, with Anderson (4:19.88) just missing a PR and Collins (4:27.03) just a few seconds behind.
THURSDAY
Rosina Machu returned to the track for the first time since the Stanford Invitational with yet another program record, this time a new top 5K mark on the first day of the Drake Relays at Drake Stadium.
Her 15:41.46 finish puts her within the current qualification parameters for the NCAA West Prelims in Fayetteville with about a month to go. Machu is already a near lock to qualify for the 10,000-meter prelim, sitting third in the West Region and 11th nationally.
Among other races on the first day at Drake, Jessica Frydenlund just missed a PR in the 3000-meter steeplechase, finishing in 10:38.99. Her current season-best of 10:30.24 is 35th in the West Region and will need to hold before the qualification deadline.
On the men's side, Mason Kissell and Nick Braz ran the 5K to conclude the Zags' day.
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