April 28, 2006
For the third time in the past five years, Notre Dame won the men’s 4 x 1,600-meter relay event at the prestigious Drake Relays, earning its latest crown on Friday afternoon at historic Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. The Irish quartet — sophomore Jake Watson (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area), senior Vinny Ambrico (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Choate Rosemary Hall), junior Todd Ptacek (Benton Harbor, Mich./Lake Michigan Catholic) and junior Kurt Benninger (Chepstow, Ontario/Walkerton D.S.S.) — covered the distance (the metric equivalent of four miles) in a time of 16:28.26, beating second-place Illinois by more than two seconds (16:30.91) and third-place Iowa State by almost six seconds (16:33.04).
Friday’s victory also marks the fourth time in the 97-year history of the Drake Relays that Notre Dame has won the 4 x 1,600-meter relay. The Irish first claimed the event in 1942, but it would be another 60 years before they returned to the top step of the podium. In 2002, the foursome of Pat Conway, Eric Morrison, Kevin Somok and Luke Watson won the race in 16:35.34. Two years later, Notre Dame again took gold, as Morrison and Somok joined Ambrico and Benninger for a victory in 16:23.
In other action involving Irish athletes at the Drake Relays, Notre Dame’s 4 x 400-meter relay unit — sophomore Austin Wechter (Shelby, Ohio/Shelby), sophomore Bob Kueny (Lebanon, Mo./Lebanon), senior Ryan Postel (Lexington, Ky./Lexington Catholic) and junior Jordan Powell (Springfield, Ill./Calvary Academy) — placed ninth during the preliminaries and did not advance to the finals. The group’s season-best time of 3:11.70 was good for second in their heat, but overall, it was 12-hundredths (.12) of a second shy of promotion. Wechter also competed in the 400-meter hurdles, taking 15th place in a time of 53.57 seconds.
A handful of Notre Dame athletes will participate in events Saturday at the Drake Relays, while a large Irish contingent is in Hillsdale, Mich., this weekend for the Hillsdale Gina Relays. Complete coverage of the Drake Relays can be found on the Des Moines Register web site and results from both meets will be posted as soon as possible on the official Notre Dame athletics web site (www.und.com), as well as the Irish Sports Hotline (574-631-3000).
— ND —
97th Annual Drake Relays
April 28, 2006
Des Moines, Iowa (Drake Stadium)
Men’s 4 x 1,600-Meter Relay (University/College): 1. Notre Dame 16:28.26; 2. Illinois 16:30.91; 3. Iowa State 16:33.04.
Men’s 4 x 400-Meter Relay – Preliminaries/top 8 advance (University): 1. Baylor 3:07.52; 8. Illinois State 3:11.58; 9. Notre Dame 3:11.70.
Men’s 400-Meter Hurdles (University/College): 1. Justin Gaymon (Georgia) 51.15; 15. Austin Wechter (Notre Dame) 53.57.