DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Illinois State men's and women's distance runners kicked things off for the Redbirds Thursday night at the Drake Relays, as Sean Senf highlighted the men's 10,000-meter run with a third-place personal-best time of 30:06.26.
In the final 800-meters of the race, Senf really got going to edge out the middle of the pack, claiming third in a competitive distance field of 33 racers and beating his former career-best by 90 seconds.
On the women's side, Rachael Brewer clocked a 20-second personal-best time, finishing 12th in the 5,000-meter race. Brewer started slow, but gradually moved her way up to the top-half of the pack, finishing strong with a personal-best time of 16:46.66.
"Sean and Rachael had some big races today," associate head track and field coach Jeff Bovee said. "Sean had a 90 second PR, coming off a redshirt outdoor season last year. He has raced the past three weekends and each week has improved. In the race tonight, he went from about 12th-plalce and ended up third with a very good time. Sean is really making some huge strides. He just ran tough, and it was a really good start coming up on post-season. With Rachael, I was really proud of her, as she has been battling foot problems. Tonight was her debut 5K outdoor race of the season, and she ran a PR of 20-seconds. She was a little cautious and probably could have ran faster had she tested the waters, but it was a really good start for her. I am excited to see what she has in store the rest of the season."
The women's 4x1,600-meter team of Ashley Kamin, Kelly McShea, Kimi Sanden and Kaley Ummel earned a sixth-place finish with a time of 20:10.18. In the final 200-meters of the race, Ummel bypassed the anchor legs of Iowa and South Dakota to move her team into sixth-place. Washington won the event with a nation-leading time of 19:09.31.
The men's 4x1,600-meter team of Dave Eckhart, Ryan Rutherford, Aidan Askin and Jeff Bajema clocked an eighth-place time of 16:54.82.
"The women had a good effort today," Bovee said. "Ashley and Kelly got us up in the race, and we had younger, developing athletes on the third and fourth leg. I think they got some great experience, and I am really proud of them. For the guys, we ran competitive. We lost a little ground a little later on, but overall it was a good day."
The men's 4x100-meter relay team will kick things off for the Redbirds Friday, as they are slated for an 11:10 p.m., start time.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
Drake Relays
Drake Stadium
Des Moines, Iowa
800m (Unseeded)
Men
8. CJ Hamilton, 2:00.03
4x1,600-meter relay
Men
8. Dave Eckhart, Ryan Rutherford, Aidan Askin, Jeff Bajema, 16:54.82
Women
6. Ashley Kamin, Kelly McShea, Kimi Sanden, Kaley Ummel, 20:10.18
10,000-meter Invitational
3. Sean Senf, 30:06.26-personal-best
31. Jesse Hahne, 31:24.81
5,000-meter Invitational
12. Rachael Brewer, 16:46.66-personal-best
