Iowa State women notch 3 wins in Saturday’s Drake Relays finale

DES MOINES — It took Iowa State freshman Ashlyn Keeney two days to add a pair of Drake Relays title flags to her growing collection.

Her Cyclone teammate, Kaylyn Hall, accomplished that feat in roughly an hour.

Suffice it to say, then, that ISU enjoyed a red-letter day at Drake Stadium, as the Cyclones claimed flags in three women’s events: The 400-meter shuttle hurdle relay, the distance medley relay and the 100-meter hurdles.

“It’s really something special,” Keeney said after standing in for decorated senior Cailie Logue to anchor the title-winning distance medley relay team. “I don’t have a lot of confidence in myself. That’s something I’ve really struggled with and that my teammates and coaches are helping me build up, so when they trust me to finish the relay, and trust that I can do what needs to be done, it really uplifts my confidence.”

Keeney’s teammates Makayla Clark, Bria Barnes and Kinsey Christianson built a considerable lead before handing her the baton. Keeney crossed the stripe at the 11-minute and 21.5-seconds mark — nearly eight seconds ahead of second-place Utah. Clark, who typically runs the 800, pushed the Cyclones in front in the opening 1,200-meter leg.

“She crushed it,” Keeney said.

Clark’s response?

“She has two flags this weekend,” the fellow freshman said of Keeney. “So honestly, props to her.”

The props kept coming for the Cyclones, as Hall helped win the 400-meter shuttle hurdle relay, then return 70 minutes late to dominate the 100-meter hurdles. Hall set personal records in the latter event twice at Drake and finished in 13.12 to earn her second flag of the day.

“I’ve grown a lot with confidence and personal growth and all of that, but with that personal growth I’ve also had a chance to figure it out on the track and kind of develop it there, as well,” Hall said.

UNI’s Isaiah Toursil wins 100

Northern Iowa sprinter Isaiah Trousil has never lacked confidence on Drake’s blue oval. The 10-time state champion and four-time Relays winner in high school for West Burlington claimed a collegiate crown Saturday, as well, finishing the 100-meter dash in a personal-best 10.14 seconds.

“It’s just (about) being able to get a good run in before (the postseason),” Trousil said. “Just a great step. A great step in the right direction.”

Trousil couldn’t sidestep wet weather, however. He joked that every time he’s competed at Drake varying degrees of precipitation have been involved. He thought that would change Saturday, but sunny skies early morphed into rain in the afternoon.

“I came in probably around 11 o’clock just to start getting heating packs down at the medical tent and it’s sunny and warm,” Trousil said. “I finally came back outside around 20 minutes ago and it’s raining. I’m like, ‘Of course this is happening.’ So you know, it’s whatever. We’ve been here and done that. Everyone has to deal with the conditions and you just have to come out on top.”

That’s what UNI women’s thrower Makenna Wilson did. She notched a personal-best effort in the championship invitational hammer throw (212 feet, 1 inch) to hold off second-place Amanda Howe of Iowa.

“My teammate (Mari Shavers) and I both PR’d, so it was a good day for UNI,” Wilson said.

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