Missouri
Drake Relays
White Wins 10,000m; Three Top-10 Marks Set on Day One of Drake Relays
4/27/2017 9:53:00 PM | Track & Field
White, Kempfer and Mello record program top-10 marks
DES MOINES, IOWA. – On his 23rd birthday, redshirt senior Drew White (Crystal City, Mo.) delivered perhaps his biggest birthday present himself, winning the 10,000m run at the Drake Relays on Thursday. With the win, White becomes the first Mizzou athlete to win the 10,000m run at the famous Drake Relays. White's victory was one of three top-10 program marks set on the day for Mizzou Track & Field, as redshirt sophomore Jamie Kempfer (Festus, Mo.) and redshirt junior Nicole Mello (Columbia, Mo.) also produced top-10 marks in the women's 5000m run.
White, who led the pack for a majority of the race, crossed the finish line with a personal record time of 29:41.10, a time which ranks eighth all-time in Mizzou history and is currently in the top-48 of the NCAA West regional. The Tiger senior held off a late rally from South Dakota State's Trevor Capra to preserve the victory, improving his personal best mark by more than a minute from his previous best time of 30:48.44.
"Growing up, I always heard about the Drake Relays and how famous they are," said White following the race. "To be a champion is something I didn't really expect, I just tried to go out there and give it my all. Winning it is just an amazing feeling."
In the women's 5000m race, Kempfer and Mello each finished in the top-10, placing third and ninth, respectively. Kempfer, who is the current school record holder in the 10,000m run, finished with a personal record time of 16:09.59, moving to No. 5 on the all-time top-10 list in the 5000m run. Mello crossed the finish line at 16:22.17, improving her personal record time by nearly 30 seconds to add her name to the all-time top-10 list at No. 7.
Mizzou also recorded fifth place finishes in the women's 10,000m run and men's 4x1600m relay, as senior Kaitlyn Fischer (Pevley, Mo.) finished at 35:09.84 and the men's team of senior Luca Russo (Kent, England), redshirt junior Marc Dubrick (DeKalb, Ill.), redshirt junior Sheldon Keence (St. Charles, Mo.) and redshirt sophomore Zach Cook (Columbia, Mo.) finished at 16:45.45.
The Tigers will continue competition at the Drake Relays tomorrow, with collegiate track events scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. CT and field events at 10 a.m. CT. Junior Karissa Schweizer (Urbandale, Iowa), who was originally scheduled to race in the collegiate 1500m run on Saturday, will now run in the 1500m Rio Rematch heat on Friday night at 8:04 p.m. CT. The field will feature six Olympians, including 2016 Rio bronze medalist Jenny Simpson.
For all the latest on Mizzou Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MIZ_TrackField).
Track Results
5000m Run, Men – 20. Jordan Cook, 14:52.99
5000m Run, Women – 3. Jamie Kempfer, 16:09.59 PR, #5 // 9. Nicole Mello, 16:22.17 PR, #7 // 19. Megan Cunningham, 16:45.48 PR // Jordyn Kleve, 17:18.74
10,000m Run, Men – 1. Drew White, 29:41.10 PR, #8
10,000m Run, Women – 5. Kaitlyn Fischer, 35:09.84 // 7. Ellyn Atkinson, 35:31.87
4x1600m Relay, Men – 5. Luca Russo, Marc Dubrick, Sheldon Keence, Marc Dubrick, 16:45.45
Players Mentioned
