DES MOINES, Iowa – The Knights sent a small contingent of racers south for the 100th running of the prestigious Drake Relays. Iowa native Michael Sanders (Jr./Cedar Falls, Iowa) anchored Carleton’s entry in the sprint medley, propelling them to a sixth-place finish.
The sprint medley consists of two 200-meter segments, followed by the 400-meter portion and an 800-meter leg.
Nick Cesarek (Sr./Eagan, Minn./Eastview) got the starting nod and began with a 22.89 into a slight headwind. Tom Ballinger (Wenatchee, Wash.) followed with a 22.38, and Jack Delehanty (Sr./Madison, Wis./Monona Grove) ran the 400-meter segment in 49.57. Sanders was given the honor of running the anchor leg on his home turf and did not disappoint, passing three teams during his time on the track as the foursome finished second in their heat at 3:30.18, the fifth-best performance all-time for Carleton in this event.
Ballinger finished fourth in his heat and 15th overall in the University/College 400-meter hurdles. With a time of 54.46, he was the top Division III finisher.
On Friday, the Knights 4x400m finished 16th breaking 3:20 again with a mark of 3:19.78 on a windy, 85-degree day.