DES MOINES, Iowa - With conditions straight out of a 'Dickens Novel' the Bethany Women's Track SMR (Kari Marzinske, Anna Lieske, Lydia Hildebrandt, Megan Sauer) took to the famous Blue Oval. The women's SMR team qualified into Drake with a school record 4:46.88 and today at Drake Relays shattered their qualifying mark, running an impressive 4:33.46 "To improve that much on any day is spectacular, but to do so in the conditions at the track today is even more amazing. These ladies worked hard to get a spot at Drake this year and as the inaugural group sets the mark for future years to come. I am very proud of these ladies."

During the men's race, conditions hadn't changed much. The weather possibly got even worse and the track was soaked. Even so, the Bethany men's SMR team (Noah Larson, Donald Henderson Jr.., Stefan Prince, Owen Richardson) took to the track and ran hard. The team crossed the line in 3:47.23 and absolutely soaked. "I think the men were aggressive today and although we may have not got the result the guts were their and each one can learn from the experience."

"Our two relay teams really had a special experience this weekend. Meeting Olympic Medalists, athletes and watching them compete in person, as well as other college athletes allows them to learn more about the sport they are a part of. I hope it is an experience we can continue with more relay teams qualifying in the future."

Other members of the Bethany Track & Field team competed in the Drake Alternative meet held at Gustavus Adolphus. Highlights from the day came from Danielle Marzinske in the 100m hurdles and Kayla Norris in the 400m. Both athletes performed well for the Vikings. In the women's shot put, Lindsey Stewart and Marissa Milless continued to progress in preparation for the UMAC championships.