By Tori Jackson
Reporter
The Lady Bears scored 38 points to win the 2014 HyVee Cup at the Drake Relays on Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa.
“We thought we would have a shot to win the trophy coming in and they did it in a really convincing way,” head coach Todd Harbour said. “It was really neat to be able to see them enjoy that title. The 4×4 group did a great job closing out the night. The girls just stepped up in a big way and ran a great time. It was a really good weekend.”
The HyVee Cup goes to the team with the best combined finishes in five relay events, the 4×100, 4×400, 4×800, distance medley and sprint medley.
The women’s sprint medley relay team of Kehri Jones, Justise Dayries, Raena Rhone and Olicia Williams was clocked at 3:49.19 to take third place.
The distance medley relay team of Maggie Montoya, Michelle Nwachukwu, Mariah Kelly and Rachel Johnson recorded a time of 11:12.37 to come in second. This was the second-fastest time in school history.
Jones, Ashley Fields, Alyssa Nichols and Dayries took third in the 4×100-meter relay with a season best time of 44.59.
The 4×400-meter relay team of Nichols, Fields, Williams and Rhone tallied a season-best mark of 3:31.89 for an event win.
The men’s squad finished in fifth in the HyVee Cup ranking with 15 points.
In the men’s 4×100-meter, the quartet of Alex Reece, Blake Heriot, Everett Walker and Trayvon Bromell won the event with a time of 39.14.
“It’s like, we all got the same mindset,” said Bromell. “You know, we work hard and we just come together as a team, and we just got that mentality that we are hungry and we want to eat something. We came out with a clear mind and executed it. Basically, that’s what we do, and we stay together as a team and go to war together.”
Isaiah Duke, TJ Holmes, Brandon Moore and Heriot produced a season-best time in the 4×400-meter relay with a time of 3:05.20. The men’s 4×400-meter team finished in fourth.
“The men’s 4×4 team ran an outstanding time on the end,” said Coach Harbour. “It was a good weekend where we are taking positive steps forward. We have some guys injured that we would like to have back and we would have liked to have won it, but those guys did a super job.”
Bromell also competed in the 100 meters and won the event title. He finished with a time of 10.19 and tied for the 10th fastest time in school history. Fellow teammate, Everett Walker also competed in the event. Everett finished fifth with a time of 10.38.
Junior Derwin Graham finished fourth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:59.93. Graham recorded the second fastest time in school history.
Sophomore Bryce Grace placed fifth in the 110 hurdles. Grace recorded a time of 13.96, the season-best wind legal time. Tiffani McReynolds finished third in the women’s 100 hurdles. McReynolds tallied a mark of 13.34.
The Bears will travel back to Austin to compete in the Longhorn Invitational on May 3.
The Big 12 Outdoor Championships will begin on May 17, in Lubbock.
