Drake Relay Meet Information

Watch Live - Drake Relays

Hillsdale Schedule of Events

Live Results - Gina Relays

Lyle Bennett Open Information

DETROIT -- The men's and women's track and field programs will be in action over the weekend. A majority of the athletes will compete in either the 45th Annual Hillsdale College Gina Relays or the Central Michigan Lyle Bennett Open, while another group will travel to Des Moines, Iowa to participate in the Drake Relays.

The Gina Relays will be held on the campus of Hillsdale College at the Ken Herrick Outdoor Track & Field Complex. Competition begins on April 28 and concludes on Saturday April 30. The Lyle Bennett Open will be held on Saturday, April 30 at 10:00 a.m. The meet will take place on Lyle Bennett Track located behind the Indoor Athletic Complex (IAC).

The 102nd running of the Drake Relays will feature colleges and universities from all over the United States. Events technically get underway today with the start of the decathlon, heptathlon and the pole vault, yet a number of the track and field events begin on Thursday, April 28. There will be 128 men's university-college teams with 1,381 athletes competing. On the women's side, 128 teams with 1,295 athletes will be in action.

The last time Detroit competed in the Drake Relays was during the 2008 season. The distance medley relay team finished 13th overall that year with a time of 10:12.10. Current Titans that were a part of that race include Patrick Liederbach (3:03 opening 1200m leg) and Matt Mahler. John LaRocca and Andrew Hayner rounded out the group. They were both seniors when the time was recorded.

Detroit has found success at the Drake Relays. The distance medley relay team placed first back in 1935, and Paul Caraballo won the high jump in 1997 with his Detroit Record height of 7-3.

“We are excited to return to Drake,” Head Coach Guy Murray said. “It is a great honor to compete here and we have a good history that we want to build on. Unfortunately we are a bit banged up in certain spots, but we hope to pull it together for a big effort.”

Two things to look for this weekend include the men's 4x1600 meter relay and the women's sprint medley. “We have tried to enter this race (4x1600) on a few occasions this year,” Murray explained. “It didn't work out so this will be our first run and we are very excited about it. The women's sprint medley team is very solid and I believe that if we run well the group could challenge the school record of 4:03.90 set at Drake in 2001.” The team record was set by Kelly Bernath, Shireese Statin, Angela Edwards and Ruthie Cook.

Drake Relay Schedule

Friday, April 29
9:48 a.m. – 4x100m: Vushaun Landrum, Earnest Cleary, Lesley Hanna, Charles Anthony
12:15 p.m. – 4x1600: Patrick Liederbach, Matt Mahler, Bob Radlich, Ryan Ayala
6:42 p.m. – 4x200: Landrum, Cleary, Hanna, Anthony

Saturday, April 30
10:15 a.m. – Sprint Medley: Nikia Duncan, Nicole Meisner, Sequoyia Calhoun, Kirstin Mooney
10:35 a.m. – Sprint Medley: Flexible Lineup, TBD
1:11 p.m. – Distance Medley: Flexible Lineup, TBD

Men's Horizon League Outdoor Performance List…
Vushaun Landrum recorded his fastest 100-meter dash time at the EMU Twilight last weekend. He now holds the fifth fastest time in the Horizon League (10.93). Landrum also holds the fifth fastest 200-meter dash time (22.08). Teammate Lesley Hanna recorded the top conference mark at the Beach Invite (21.07). Hanna is also on top of the conference in the 400-meter dash (46.72), while Joe Raffin finds himself in fifth with a time of 49.30.

Matt Mahler leads the Detroit mid-distance group with the fifth best conference time in the 800-meter run. Mahler recorded a time of 1:53.37 at the 53rd Annual Mt. SAC Relays. Patrick Liederbach's time of 3:51.31 puts him at fourth in the conference in the 1500-meter run. Liederbach recorded the time at the Detroit – Oakland Dual. The senior also has the fifth best time in the 5000 (14:35.32).

Two Titans are in the top-five in the 400-meter hurdles. Anthony Donald has the third best conference time at 54.61, while Vince Lefler is close behind in fourth with a time of 54.74.

Detroit currently ranks second in the HL in both the 4x100 and the 4x400 meter relays. Each time was recorded at the 2011 Colonial Relays. The Titans also won the 4x200 meter relay at the Colonial.

Ja'Quan Patterson used his first place finish at the EMU Twilight to move up the HL ranks in the long jump. Patterson's mark of 22-9 (6.93m) is the third best distance in the league. Freshman Eric Lewis will also help Detroit off the track as he sits at fourth in the hammer throw with a distance of 163-11 (49.96m).

Women's Horizon League Outdoor Performance List…

Kirstin Mooney recorded her best 800-meter dash time of the season last weekend at the EMU Twilight. Mooney now holds the fourth fastest time in the league at 2:16.28. Sequoyia Calhoun still holds the the fastest Horizon League time in the 400-meter dash. She ran a 55.80 at the Mt. SAC Relays.

Three Titans have recorded solid times in the 200-meter dash during this outdoor season. Nicole Meisner leads the way with a time of 25.62. Brandee Hart and Nikia Duncan both posted their fastest times of the year last weekend at the EMU Twilight. Hart clocked in at 25.64, while Duncan was close behind at 25.67.