The Emporia State men’s 4X400m relay team turned in the best qualifying time of the day at the Drake Relays to highlight Friday’s track and field action for the Hornets in Des Moines, Iowa.

Parker Evans, sophomore sprinter, Wyatt Sander, junior multi-event specialist, Luke Stenzel, junior sprinter, and Taysean Goodwin, sophomore sprinter, clocked in at 3:14.35 to qualify for Saturday’s finals in the college division of the 4X400m relay.

The men’s 4X100m relay of Malcolm Dade, freshman sprinter, Goodwin, Jamal Curry, sophomore sprinter, and Jordan Reed, sophomore sprinter, barely missed making the finals. Their time of 42.38 was good enough for second in their heat, but was .11 seconds away from making the eighth spot in the finals.

The women’s relay teams fell just short as well. The 4X100m relay team placed twelth while the 4X400m relay team placed fourteenth The sprint medley relay team finished in eighteenth overall.

The 4X200m relay team of Hannah Shield, sophomore sprinter, Sarah Hines, sophomore hurdler, Kelsey Graber, sophomore pole vaulter, and Elizabeth Blevins, senior sprinter, finished eighth with a time of 1:43.40 but were later disqualified for making an exchange outside the zone.

A pair of fifth place finishes for Emporia State were the highlight of the action at Saturday’s finals.

Thomas LaRoche, junior distance runner, ran 1:54.96 to place fifth in the men’s 800m. He then took the place of Stenzel joining Evans, Sander, and Goodwin to finish fifth with a time of 3:14.28 in the 4X400m relay.

Emporia State track and field will be attending the MIAA Championship this weekend in Bolivar, Missouri.

Statistical information provided by Emporia State Athletics.