University of Minnesota Athletics
Marks Sets New Records at Drake Relays
4/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
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Shani Marks set a new Minnesota record in the triple jump, leading the Gopher women in the second day of competition at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday. Marks took first in the event with an NCAA regional qualifier of 45 feet, 3 inches. Marks currently holds the best collegiate outdoor triple jump mark in the U.S.
Marks' performance topped her previous record of 44-10 1/4 set at the Pepsi Invitational on April 12 and was good enough to break the meet record of 42-8 3/4 set by Nicola Martial of Nebraska in 1995.
Marks went on to set another school record, clocking a 3:41.51 with the 4x400-meter relay of Lisa Mickelson, Marks, Rachel Schutz</ a> and Kou Luogon. The time beat the previous record of 3:42.61 set by Amber Day, Jessica Shuster, Schutz and Marks in 2001 and earned the Gophers a place in Saturday's finals.
Marks also ran a regional qualifier of 59.93 seconds to place seventh in the 400-meter hurdles, followed closely by Melissa Steele</ a> who placed 11th and qualified for regionals with a time of 1:01.26.
Monica Stearns matched a Minnesota school record, earning regional qualifier of 12-6 in the pole vault to place 11th and tie teammate Erica Findlay's record set in 2001. Alean Frawley</ a> and Elizabeth Alabi also gave strong performances in the field, both earning NCAA regional qualifiers in the shot put. Frawley placed second with her mark of 49-9 1/4, and Alabi threw a 45-11 1/4 to come in tenth. Nicole Kopari</ a> rounded out Minnesota's performances, placing fourth in the discus with a regional qualifier of 158-11.
Minnesota continues competition tomorrow at the Drake Stadium. The day's events are scheduled to begin with open marathons and high school competition at 8 a.m. Collegiate-level running events begin at 9:30 a.m., and field events start at 10:30 a.m.
Players Mentioned
