West Central Reporter

The Western Illinois track and field teams are set to compete in two major events this week. They will participate in the 113th Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, scheduled for April 27th and 29th, 2023. Simultaneously, both the men's and women's teams will also take part in the Kip Janvrin Open at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa on April 27-28.

Coach Trey Brokaw expressed optimism about the upcoming meets. "The weather is shaping up to be very nice for the historic Drake Relays and the Kip Janvrin Open at Simpson College. Our entire team feels prepared to take advantage of the opportunity," he stated. He highlighted that they have been working hard and are eager to see positive results. "We expect a lot of movement on the performance lists and we are hoping a few school records can go down as well."

Several records could potentially be broken during these competitions:

Men's Pole Vault: Freshman Arnie Grunert aims to surpass his own indoor record of 5.12 meters. The current outdoor record stands at 5.05 meters, set by Eric Lindahl and Andy Ryan.

Men's 3000 Steeplechase: Logan Lommel will attempt to break Mike Novak's long-standing record of 9:12.94 from 1973.

Men's Sprint Medley: The team comprising Zion Caruthers, Lucas Burmeister, Richard Brown, and Lucas Hofer will challenge the existing record of 3:19.68 set in 1981.

Men's 5000 Meters: Olin Ortiz seeks to beat Bill Kitchell's record time of 14:45.84 from 1990.

Women's Long Jump: Freshmen Aliyah Adams and Nakeita Kessling aim to break Bo Brasseur's record of 6.25 meters from 2019.

Women's 3000 Steeplechase: Aylana Cezar targets Mary Kate Jackson's record time of 10:50.94 set in 2009.

Women's 1500m: Paulina Wuestefeld hopes to achieve Kathy Campbell’s record time of 4:27.49 from 1991.

Women's Sprint Medley: A young team including Briza Dure, Aliyah Adams, Nakeita Kessling, and Maleigha Huston is eyeing a school record time set in 2001.

Women's DMR (Distance Medley Relay): Although not competing with their exact indoor team setup, Madison Trevena, Zwandi Harrison, Aylana Cezar, and Paulina Wuestefeld aim for a strong performance against a past record time from 2004.

Reflecting on last year's achievements by athletes such as Ackeen Colley at the Drake Relays and Lucas Hofer at the Kip Janvrin Open, Coach Brokaw remarked on their current lineup saying it is "a very young, balanced, and talented team competing." He emphasized that with conference competitions just two weeks away this weekend is about building momentum while expressing excitement over what legacy this year's Leathernecks could establish during the Drake Relays weekend.