Wednesday, April 23
Des Moines, Iowa
Abilene Christian
at
Drake University
Select individuals and relay teams to represent ACU at Drake Relays
4/23/2014 4:34:00 PM | Track & Field
Drake Relays Homepage
ABILENE - Several members of the Abilene Christian track and field program head north this weekend to Des Moines, Iowa and the campus of Drake University for the the 105th running of the prestigious Drake Relays.
Collegiate events run from Wednesday, April 23 to Saturday, April 26, at Drake Stadium, but the Wildcats won't see their first action until junior Leuxs Williams takes to the track at 9:30 a.m. Friday for the prelims of the 100-meter hurdles. The four-time Lone Star Conference Champion and three-time all-America is scheduled to run in third of four heats against seven competitors, including Baylor's nationally sixth-ranked Tiffani McReynolds, who clocked a time of 12.98 seconds at the Florida Relays.
Williams' season best is currently 14.39 seconds, which ranks her third in the Southland Conference behind Sabrina Starr (13.32) and Danielle Demas (13.69) of Sam Houston State. Williams' personal collegiate record of 13.74 earned her sixth place and NCAA DII all-America status at the 2012 championships hosted by CSU-Pueblo.
Following Williams will be the first of three men's relays (4x100, 4x200 and 4x400) and sophomore Johnathan Farquharson in the prelims of the 100-meter dash. Farquharson is coming off a solid weekend at Oklahoma's John Jacobs Invitational, where he won the 100m in 10.54(w), placed fifth in the 200m (21.63) and second with the 4x100m relay (41.01). These performances earned him a nomination for Southland Conference Men's Track Athlete of the Week.
Farquharson, like many of his teammates, is making his Drake Relays debut this weekend. Last year, the Wildcats used this weekend for the Michael Johnson/Dr. Pepper Classic hosted by Baylor, and in seasons prior traveled east for the Penn Relays. Farquharson did well at the 2013 Dr. Pepper Classic, finishing as the runner-up in the 100m (w10.67) to David Winters of Barton County (w10.56) and placing fifth with his 4x100 relay in a field that also included TCU, Oklahoma and North Texas.
At the Drake Relays, Farquharson will be entered into the fourth of four heats and will directly compete against Purdue's Tyler Askew and Eric Harris and Baylor rookie Trayvon Bromell, who share's the NCAA's fastest 100m time of 10.01 seconds with Alabama Senior Diondre Batson.
Farquharson's fastest 100m time this season is 10.54, and in 2013 he recorded a PR of 10.42 at the NCAA DII Championships.
Representing the Wildcats in the 800m is junior Daniel Block, who comes in with the Southland's third-ranked time of 1:51.27 behind Lamar junior Aaron Bennett (1:50.89) and Southeastern Louisiana freshman Alex Holden (1:51.18). Block last competed two weeks ago at the ACU / Wes Kittley Invitational, where he was a workhorse for the Wildcats, competing in the 800m and 400m and 1600m relays.
Block's flight at the Drake Relays is comprised of 12 competitors, including 19th-ranked Purdue junior Kevin Griffith (1:48.64) and Minnesota sophomore Goaner Deng (1:49.59).
In the field events, ACU will have senior Amelia Mitchell entered in the javelin against a field of 27, and senior Baptiste Kerjean in the second of two hammer throw flights (30 throwers).
Kerjean has recorded three wins and a runner-up showing (Texas Relays) in the hammer this spring, and is far and away the No. 1 thrower in the Southland Conference with a season best of 217-7 (66.33m). But his mark ranks 15th at the national level, keeping him behind many of the same competitors he'll see this weekend in Iowa.
Going head-to-head with Kerjean in his 15-man flight are several competitors ranked among the nation's top-100, including No. 2 Matthias Tayala (235-1) of Kent State, No. 8 Chukwuebuka Enekwechi (224-5) of Purdue, and No. 25 Akil Mills of Illinois State (209-11).
Mitchell began this spring with a javelin victory at McMurry (139-8) and has since posted top-10 finishes at the Texas Relays, Texas Tech and Oklahoma. Her season best mark of 146-1 at the Texas Relays was good for sixth place and six feet shy of tying her PR of 152-4 at the 2013 NCAA DII Championships.
Mitchell's mark also ranks her fifth in the conference and 82nd nationally. This weekend her flight will include four collegians ranked among the top-15 - Georgia's Freya Jones, Miami's Victoria Paterra, Nebraska's Maggie Malone and Missouri's Hailey Twietmeyer - plus 2008 Olympian Kara Patterson, who set the United States javelin record at Drake Stadium in 2010 with a throw of 218-8.75 (66.67m). Patterson is now competing for Asics.
Wildcats at the Drake Relays
Friday, April 25
Lexus Williams (100m H) 9:32 a.m.
Men's 4x100m - 11:10 a.m.
Johnathan Farquharson (100m) 12:33 p.m.
Amelia Mitchell (Javelin) 1 p.m.
Men's 4x400m - 3:20 p.m.
Men's 4x200m - 7:43 p.m.
Saturday, April 26
Baptiste Kerjean (Hammer) 12:15 p.m.
Daniel Block (800m) 1:50 p.m.
Schedule Note
The Oliver Jackson Twilight meet on April 30 at Elmer Gray Stadium has been cancelled. In its place, the Wildcats will compete in Lubbock on May 3 for the Texas Tech Red Raider Open.
ABILENE - Several members of the Abilene Christian track and field program head north this weekend to Des Moines, Iowa and the campus of Drake University for the the 105th running of the prestigious Drake Relays.
Collegiate events run from Wednesday, April 23 to Saturday, April 26, at Drake Stadium, but the Wildcats won't see their first action until junior Leuxs Williams takes to the track at 9:30 a.m. Friday for the prelims of the 100-meter hurdles. The four-time Lone Star Conference Champion and three-time all-America is scheduled to run in third of four heats against seven competitors, including Baylor's nationally sixth-ranked Tiffani McReynolds, who clocked a time of 12.98 seconds at the Florida Relays.
Williams' season best is currently 14.39 seconds, which ranks her third in the Southland Conference behind Sabrina Starr (13.32) and Danielle Demas (13.69) of Sam Houston State. Williams' personal collegiate record of 13.74 earned her sixth place and NCAA DII all-America status at the 2012 championships hosted by CSU-Pueblo.
Following Williams will be the first of three men's relays (4x100, 4x200 and 4x400) and sophomore Johnathan Farquharson in the prelims of the 100-meter dash. Farquharson is coming off a solid weekend at Oklahoma's John Jacobs Invitational, where he won the 100m in 10.54(w), placed fifth in the 200m (21.63) and second with the 4x100m relay (41.01). These performances earned him a nomination for Southland Conference Men's Track Athlete of the Week.
Farquharson, like many of his teammates, is making his Drake Relays debut this weekend. Last year, the Wildcats used this weekend for the Michael Johnson/Dr. Pepper Classic hosted by Baylor, and in seasons prior traveled east for the Penn Relays. Farquharson did well at the 2013 Dr. Pepper Classic, finishing as the runner-up in the 100m (w10.67) to David Winters of Barton County (w10.56) and placing fifth with his 4x100 relay in a field that also included TCU, Oklahoma and North Texas.
At the Drake Relays, Farquharson will be entered into the fourth of four heats and will directly compete against Purdue's Tyler Askew and Eric Harris and Baylor rookie Trayvon Bromell, who share's the NCAA's fastest 100m time of 10.01 seconds with Alabama Senior Diondre Batson.
Farquharson's fastest 100m time this season is 10.54, and in 2013 he recorded a PR of 10.42 at the NCAA DII Championships.
Representing the Wildcats in the 800m is junior Daniel Block, who comes in with the Southland's third-ranked time of 1:51.27 behind Lamar junior Aaron Bennett (1:50.89) and Southeastern Louisiana freshman Alex Holden (1:51.18). Block last competed two weeks ago at the ACU / Wes Kittley Invitational, where he was a workhorse for the Wildcats, competing in the 800m and 400m and 1600m relays.
Block's flight at the Drake Relays is comprised of 12 competitors, including 19th-ranked Purdue junior Kevin Griffith (1:48.64) and Minnesota sophomore Goaner Deng (1:49.59).
In the field events, ACU will have senior Amelia Mitchell entered in the javelin against a field of 27, and senior Baptiste Kerjean in the second of two hammer throw flights (30 throwers).
Kerjean has recorded three wins and a runner-up showing (Texas Relays) in the hammer this spring, and is far and away the No. 1 thrower in the Southland Conference with a season best of 217-7 (66.33m). But his mark ranks 15th at the national level, keeping him behind many of the same competitors he'll see this weekend in Iowa.
Going head-to-head with Kerjean in his 15-man flight are several competitors ranked among the nation's top-100, including No. 2 Matthias Tayala (235-1) of Kent State, No. 8 Chukwuebuka Enekwechi (224-5) of Purdue, and No. 25 Akil Mills of Illinois State (209-11).
Mitchell began this spring with a javelin victory at McMurry (139-8) and has since posted top-10 finishes at the Texas Relays, Texas Tech and Oklahoma. Her season best mark of 146-1 at the Texas Relays was good for sixth place and six feet shy of tying her PR of 152-4 at the 2013 NCAA DII Championships.
Mitchell's mark also ranks her fifth in the conference and 82nd nationally. This weekend her flight will include four collegians ranked among the top-15 - Georgia's Freya Jones, Miami's Victoria Paterra, Nebraska's Maggie Malone and Missouri's Hailey Twietmeyer - plus 2008 Olympian Kara Patterson, who set the United States javelin record at Drake Stadium in 2010 with a throw of 218-8.75 (66.67m). Patterson is now competing for Asics.
Wildcats at the Drake Relays
Friday, April 25
Lexus Williams (100m H) 9:32 a.m.
Men's 4x100m - 11:10 a.m.
Johnathan Farquharson (100m) 12:33 p.m.
Amelia Mitchell (Javelin) 1 p.m.
Men's 4x400m - 3:20 p.m.
Men's 4x200m - 7:43 p.m.
Saturday, April 26
Baptiste Kerjean (Hammer) 12:15 p.m.
Daniel Block (800m) 1:50 p.m.
Schedule Note
The Oliver Jackson Twilight meet on April 30 at Elmer Gray Stadium has been cancelled. In its place, the Wildcats will compete in Lubbock on May 3 for the Texas Tech Red Raider Open.
ACU Baseball: Rick McCarty Press Conference | March 31, 2026
Tuesday, March 31
ACU Softball: Jo Koons Press Conference | March 30, 2026
Monday, March 30
ACU Women's Basketball: Julie Goodenough Press Conference | March 30, 2026
Monday, March 30
ACU Women's Basketball: Florida International Postgame | March 24, 2026
Wednesday, March 25
