THREE RECORDS SET AT DRAKE RELAYS
DES MOINES, IOWA -- Reigning U.S. national champion Diana Pickler opened the Drake Relays by setting a record in the heptathlon Thursday.
Three hours later high school seniors Katie Flood and Hannah Willms made their final Drake Relays high school appearances one for the ages by each setting national leading prep marks within 30 minutes of their specialities Thursday at Drake Stadium.
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Pickler recorded the best heptathlon mark by an American this spring with 6,040 points. It ranks as the second best in world, just trailing the mark of 6,086 points by Canada's Ruky Abdulai at Mt. SAC Relays last Saturday.
Flood of Dowling Catholic ran the fastest high school outdoor girls' 3,000 time in the United States this year of 9:43.39, bettering previous the 2010 prep best of 9:45.71 by Emily Lipari, Roslyn, N.Y.
It also was a Drake Relays record, bettering her mark of 9:44.96 set as a sophomore in 2007.
Willms of Dike-New Hartford posted the best high school outdoor girls' high jump mark in the United States this year at 6-1, topping the previous 2010 prep best of 5-11.5 by Ashley Smith from Millikan, Calif.
She also bettered her previous Iowa all-time state record of 6-0.25 set last year.
Pickler won all three events on the final day, capturing the long jump at 20 feet 1.75 inches, the javelin at 135-9, while winning the 800 in 2:16.73.
"That makes it fun, the history of the Drake Relays, to be on the board," said Pickler, who was 11th in the 2009 World Championships. "I was shooting for that going into the 800, so it made it exciting. I'm honored to get that and kind of move forward from here."
It marked the third straight year the Drake Relays heptathlon mark has been broken. Olympian Jacquelyn Johnson set the 2009 record of 6,020 points bettering the previous meet record of 5,788 points by Fiona Asigbee from Columbia, Mo., in 2008.
Minnesota senior R.J. McGinnis captured the decathlon with 7,319 points to edge freshman teammate Jack Szmanda who scored 7,284. Defending champion Mat Clark no heighted in the pole vault and withdrew.
Willms, who won her third straight Drake Relays crown, also eclipsed her previous Drake Relays record of 5-11 set last year.
The Washington bound-Flood became just the third high school athlete in Drake Relays history to win an event four times, joining Debbie Carroll of Collins, who won the 100 yard dash from 1971-74 and Abby Emsick from Lewis Central of Council Bluffs who won discus from 1999-2002.
In her last appearance at Drake Stadium, Flood ran the nation's top high school girls time in the 15,00 at 4:31.38 April 10 at the Jim Duncan Invitational.
Brothers Martin Kirui and Barnabas Kirui from Mississippi won the 3,000 steeplechase and 5,000-meter runs, respectively.
It marked Martin's third victory in the steeplechase in the last four years. He posted a winning time of 8:46.68, which was best in the event at Drake since Dmitry Drozdov of Iowa State was clocked in 8:39.66 in 1994. Kirui also won Drake Relays steeplechase in 2007 and 2008. Barnabas Kirui won the 5,000 in 14:14.49.
Photo by Todd Steinberg www.tsteinphoto.com