Augustana's tracksters set themselves ahead of the pack at the 2010 Drake Relays at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, last weekend.
It was an impressive meet that displayed the hard work both the men and women's track teams have put into this season.
The women's distance medley relay team—comprised of seniors Bobbi Jo Buyck, Caitlin Polgreen, and freshmen Linn Nilsson and Cecilie Udstuen—took third place with a time of 11:54.62, falling just short of Loras College and University of Minnesota–Duluth.
Sophomore Tom Karbo also ran an edge-of-your-seat race after coming up from ninth place to finish in second in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase, with a time of 8.54.79 behind Southwest Mississippi's Martin Kirui.
The spotlight of the meet, however, was on the men's distance medley relay team and the women's 4x800-meter relay. Both teams earned first place in their respective races.
Senior Brian Werner, a part of the distance medley team, had high hopes for his fellow runners. ''We thought we had a good chance at winning, but we definitely weren't expecting to,'' he said. ''Taking the victory was the coolest running experience I've ever had, so, in a way, my expectations were met. I could end my running career now and be happy. But I won't.''
The rest of the team consisted of senior Austin Vande Berg, freshman Aduo Omot and Karbo. Their combined efforts helped them take home a new school record and helped them fend off Minnesota State–Mankato, whose team beat Augustana last year.
Senior Caitlin Polgreen and freshmen Linn Nilsson, Miriam Hovda and Cecilie Udstuen made up the women's 4x800-meter relay team and finished with a time of 8:59.02, setting a new state record.
''It was really sweet to see the women's 4x800 and the men's distance medley relay come away with the relay victories,'' senior Matt Heesch said. ''Relays are exciting by their nature, and seeing that our squads were in a position to win made them even more captivating. Every leg of both relays executed their race well, and that's what allowed for them to come away with the win.''
From here, the track teams have three more meets, plus NCAA Championships in Charlotte, N.C. With Howard Wood Relays right around the corner for this weekend, the teams look forward to even stronger races.
''We will be hoping for a top two finish at the conference meet for the men and a conference title for the women,'' Heesch said. ''It's looking like we will have several runners representing Augie at the national championships as well, so hopefully our stronger individuals can capture some All-American awards.''
Until then, Augustana's runners keep pushing themselves faster to the finish line, hoping that their hard work pays off.
''We, the runners, have been getting progressively better as the season goes on, and that's how it's supposed to be,'' Werner said. ''Coach's [Tracy Hellman] program allows us to keep getting better while the other teams start to die off, which allows us to run faster when it really matters. We're only going to get faster in the next few weeks.''
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this article!