April 22, 2009

COLUMBIA, Mo. - After last week's hectic schedule that had the Missouri Track team compete in California and Arkansas, the team will not be racking up any frequent filer miles this week as the squad heads to Des Moines, Ia., for the 100th running of the Drake Relays.

Only second to the Penn Relays, the Drake Relays are one of the oldest track meets in the country, and also one of the hardest to get into. 36 Tigers, 20 men and 16 women, have been invited to participate this weekend in 28 events beginning Friday at 9:30 a.m. with the women's 4x100-meter relay.

Mizzou will look to have another positive week after traveling for the first time in the outdoor season, as many Tigers improved their regional qualifying marks, while others continued to excel in their events.

The team had six individual wins and one relay victory at the John McDonnell Invitational, and at the MtSAC/CA Invite, the Tigers multi-event athletes had their first taste of a true heptathlon and decathlon so far this year. As it stands today, Missouri will send 20 athletes to the regional meet in Louisville in late May.

Live results of the 100th Drake Relays can be found at DeltaTiming.com.