5,000m Performances Highlight Opening Night at Drake Relays

Six Bradley runners recorded personal-best times Thursday, including five in the 5,000-meter races

Missouri Valley Conference

Bobby Parker, Sr. Associate AD for Communications and Event & Facility Operations Track & Field 4/28/2022 8:47:00 PM

DES MOINES, IA – All four men to compete in the 5,000m set personal bests with runs among the top 10 all-time in Bradley history, while freshman Nicola Jansen also turned in an impressive run at the distance, highlighting the opening day of action for the Bradley Track and Field teams at the 112th Drake Relays Thursday at Drake Stadium.

Redshirt freshman Michael Rebello paced the four Bradley men in the Men's Unseeded 5,000m race, clocking a personal-best 14:11.54 to finish fourth in the 30-man race with the sixth-best time in program history. Junior George Watson followed in seventh-place at 14:13.91, also a personal best and the seventh-fastest time in program history. Senior Alec Danner kept the personal-bests coming by finishing 10th at 14:18.86 for the ninth-best time in Bradley history and senior Matt Aho completed the finishes for the Braves quartet, taking 11th in 14:19.14 for the 10th-best time in team history.

Competing in the Women's 5,000m, Jansen took fourth among 21 finishers. Her time of 16:14.10 was the second-best of her rookie outdoor season, but the third-best individual performance in program history, trailing only her debut in the event last month at the Raleigh Relays and Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Famer Mary Ellen Hill's effort at the 1998 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Redshirt freshman Ashley Maguire posted Bradley's sixth personal-best effort of the night, taking 12th in the race at 16:38.67, good for the sixth-best time in program history.

Also among Friday's highlights, sophomore Sophia McDonnell finished third among 33 runners in the 3,000m Steeplechase, posting 10:23.08, just three-tenths of a second off her school record, set during the 2021 Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Junior Charlie Parrish turned in a similarly-impressive performance in the Men's 3,000m Steeplechase, finishing seventh among 40 competitors in a personal-best 8:54.81, the fourth-best time in Bradley history.

The 4x1600m relay races will open Friday's events for the Braves at the Drake Relays. Following the Men's 4x1600m Relay, the Bradley women will be featured the remainder of the day: Tiana LoStracco and Julia Nielsen in the Women's 800m Finals, Amiyah Davis and Hannah Ivy in the Women's 400m Finals and Nielsen back in action in the Women's 1,500m Final to close the day.

Bradley's lone event Saturday will be the Women's 4x400m Relay.

An additional 17 Bradley student-athletes will compete in Saturday's Sycamore Open at Indiana State. The 2022 MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships are slated for May 13-15 back at Drake University's Drake Stadium.

Thursday, April 28	Drake Relays
Time (CT)	Event	Bradley Entrant(s)
5:08 PM	Men's 800m (Unseeded)	Will Smith (1:53.06 - 13th of 21)
~~5:28 PM~~	~~Men's 1,500m (Unseeded)~~	~~Max Dieterich (Section 1 of 2)~~
6:23 PM	Women's 3,000m Steeplechase	Sophia McDonnell (10:23.08 - 3rd of 33)
6:47 PM	Men's 3,000m Steeplechase	Charlie Parrish (PR - 8:54.81 - 7th of 40)
7:15 PM	Men's 5,000m (Unseeded)	Michael Rebello (PR - 14:11.54 - 4th of 30) George Watson (PR - 14:13.91 - 7th) Alec Danner (PR - 14:18.86 - 10th) Matt Aho (PR - 14:19.14 - 11th)
8:19 PM	Women's 5,000m	Nicola Jansen (16:14.10 - 4th of 21) Ashley Maguire (PR - 16:38.67 - 12th) Tyler Schwartz (17:13.95 - 20th)
Friday, April 29	Drake Relays
Time (CT)	Event	Bradley Entrant(s)
10:42 AM	Women's 4 x 1,600m Relay	Runners TBD
11:45 AM	Men's 4 x 1,600m Relay	Aidan Donohue +3 (TBD)
1:50 PM	Women's 800m	Tiana LoStracco Julia Nielsen
5:26 PM	Women's 400m	Amiyah Davis (Section 2 of 4) Hannah Ivy (Section 2)
7:43 PM	Women's 1,500m	Julia Nielsen
Saturday, April 30	Drake Relays
Time (CT)	Event	Bradley Entry
3:00 PM	Women's 4x400m Relay	TBD (Ivy, McMillan, Davis, LoStracco, J Nielsen)