Australian standout runs 13:21.39 to take down Rose’s all-time meet mark from 1977, along with 2019 stadium standard produced by Lomong in his run to U.S. outdoor title; Furman’s Adams achieves 1,500 meet record, with Iowa State elevating to No. 5 in collegiate history in 4x800 relay to eclipse 1985 event record

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Morgan McDonald hadn’t competed in a 5,000-meter race in more than 18 months, but the Australian standout representing Under Armour picked the ideal time to return to the event Friday in the Journey to Gold event at the 111th Drake Relays presented by Xtream.

McDonald, celebrating his 25th birthday, ran the fastest time in meet and Drake Stadium history, clocking 13 minutes, 21.39 seconds at Jim Duncan Track in Des Moines, Iowa, already the fifth occasion under 13:25 in his career.

McDonald, who trains in Colorado under coach Joe Bosshard, closed in 55.36 to eclipse the 1977 meet record of 13:27.20 held by Nick Rose of Mason-Dixon Track Club. He also took down the 2019 stadium record of 13:25.53 achieved by American Lopez Lomong in winning the national title at the USATF Outdoor Championships.

McDonald elevated to the No. 3 Australian competitor this year and No. 18 in the world.

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Although Northern Arizona freshman Nico Young, 18, was edged at the line by a 13:24.25 to 13:24.26 margin by Canadian athlete Kieran Lumb, representing the Vancouver Thunderbirds, the Newbury Park graduate and 2019 Nike Cross Nationals champion achieved the American U-20 all-time mark of 13:25.46 held since 2009 by German Fernandez when he placed fifth at age 18 at the USATF Outdoor Championships.

Young boasted the top collegiate outdoor performance for a few hours, before Cole Hocker (13:19.98) and Cooper Teare (13:20.24) of Oregon, along with Edwin Kurgat (13:20.48) and Wesley Kiptoo (13:21.02) of Iowa State took the top four spots later Friday at the Oregon Relays at Hayward Field.

Ben Flanagan, a Michigan graduate representing Canada and Reebok Boston Track Club, was fourth at the Drake Relays in a personal-best 13:25.39 and Northern Arizona’s Abdihamid Nur was fifth, also running the fastest time of his career by clocking 13:26.74.

Iowa State also eclipsed meet and stadium records in the men’s 4x800 relay that had stood since 1985, along with elevating to the No. 5 collegiate lineup in history, with Jason Gomez, Daniel Nixon, Roshon Roomes and Festus Lagat clocking 7:12.57.

Nebraska had maintained the record of 7:14.89 for the past 35 years, but Gomez and Nixon produced splits of 1:48.66 and 1:48.52, before Roomes finished the third leg in 1:47.88 and Lagat anchored in 1:47.51 to secure the Drake Relays all-time mark. It is also the fastest collegiate performance since Virginia ran 7:12.15 in 2011.

The Cyclones won their third consecutive title in the event, including victories in 2018 and 2019, with the meet being canceled last year as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. Lagat and Roomes were members of all three winning relays, joining Frank Hayes and Jaymes Dennison in running 7:27.98 in 2018, along with Edwin Kurgat and Cebastian Gentil in 2019.

Iowa State also won the 1,600-meter sprint medley Friday in 3:22.06, with Roomes anchoring the lineup that also included Gage Clay, Joven Nelson and Eric Fogltanz.

Furman senior Ryan Adams continued to demonstrate great consistency in the 1,500 meters, despite competing for a third consecutive week after not racing for more than 13 months, covering the final lap in 56.15 seconds to break the meet record with a 3:38.74 effort, edging sophomore Adam Fogg, who set the all-time record for the host Bulldogs, in addition to running the fastest time in Missouri Valley Conference history by clocking 3:38.79.

Miami (Ohio) relied on a 4:06.98 anchor leg from Anthony Camerieri to rally past 2019 champion Oklahoma State and win the 4x1,600 relay in 16:40.84. It marked the first victory in any event at the meet for Miami since 1993, in addition to the first 4x1,600 championship for the Hawks, who had Andrew Schroff, Connall McGinness and Charlie Harders running the first three legs.

Houston ran the second-fastest collegiate 4x200 relay this season, with Christian Hamberlin, Travis Collins, Edward Sumler IV and Shaun Maswanganyi prevailing in 1:24.41 to secure the Cougars’ first title in the event at Drake Relays since 1955. Houston also qualified second for the 4x100 final Saturday, clocking 39.98, with Nicholas Alexander replacing Hamberlin on the quartet.

North Dakota State earned a pair of victories in the university men’s field events, with Danish athlete Kristoffer Thomsen highlighting a sweep of the top three spots in the shot put for the Bison with a sixth-round effort of 64-1.25 (19.54m).

Brandon Lewis also came through with a clutch sixth-round effort for North Dakota State in the men’s long jump, elevating from fifth to first with a wind-legal leap of 24-3.75 (7.41m).

Texas-Arlington freshman Arthur Petersen, also representing Denmark, won the javelin with a second-round throw of 245-2 (74.74m). Petersen is second among all collegiate competitors this year at 255-1 (77.75m).

Missouri freshman Mitchell Weber secured the first discus victory for the Tigers since Russ Bell won back-to-back titles in 2001-02, producing a fifth-round throw of 199-10 (60.91m). Weber ranks No. 3 in Division 1 this season at 200-1 (60.99m).

South Dakota freshman Eerik Haamer, representing Estonia, cleared 17-11.25 (5.47m) on his first attempt to win the pole vault, joining Italian teammate Helen Falda in sweeping both titles for the Coyotes. Haamer also followed teammate Ethan Bray, the 2018 Drake Relays pole vault champion.

South Dakota State’s Coby Hilton won the 200 running into a headwind in 21.16, along with qualifying for the 100 final Saturday in 10.70 and leading the Jackrabbits to a spot in the 4x100 championship with a 40.62 prelim effort.

Southeast Louisiana’s James Benson II won the 400 in 46.31, along with taking third in the 200 in 21.31.

Youngstown State’s Collin Harden emerged victorious in the 400 hurdles in 51.37, with Indiana State freshman Noah Malone, a visually impaired athlete, winning the Paralympic 100 in 10.97.

Malone, a Hamilton Southeastern High graduate, also won in 2019 in a wind-aided 10.65.

In the college section earlier Friday, a combination of Division 2, NAIA and National Junior College Athletic Association athletes captured titles.

Beau Ackerman of Montana State-Billings, ranked No. 4 in the javelin this year in Division 2, prevailed with a third-round throw of 216-3 (65.92m).

Marcus Gustaveson of Concordia-St. Paul, second among Division 2 competitors this season in the discus, secured victory with a fifth-round effort of 184-8 (56.30m).

Mason Strader, who anchored Pittsburg State to the distance medley relay title March 12 at the Division 2 Indoor Championships at the CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala., covered the last lap in 59.26 to triumph in the 1,500 in 3:49.25.

In a showdown of Division 2 programs in the 1,600 sprint medley relay, Oklahoma Baptist’s Jax Holland, Matthew Norman, Jared Cheatwood and Tarees Rhoden edged Augustana of South Dakota by a 3:27.54 to 3:27.58 margin.

Midland freshman Shandon Reitzell, the reigning NAIA indoor high jump champion, cleared 6-11.50 (2.12m) on his second attempt to outlast Nebraska-Kearney freshman Brayden Sorensen and his 6-10.25 (2.09m) clearance.

Luke Skinner of NAIA program St. Mary (Kansas) closed in 64.98 to rally from fifth to first on the final lap of the 5,000, securing victory in 14:42.48. Emporia State’s Matthew Maki was second in 14:43.21 and Jonathan Bowen of St. Mary, the leader entering the final 400, took third in 14:43.73.

Dordt captured the men’s 4x800 relay in 7:34.57, the fastest time in the NAIA this season. Anthony Ghiorso, Jebadiah Merkle, Trey Engen and Cole Zevenbergen improved on a 7:38.57 effort from April 9 in Orange City, Iowa.

Michael Buchanan, the NJCAA indoor runner-up in the long jump, achieved a wind-legal effort of 23-3.25 (7.09m) in the first round and never looked back to become one of two community college champions Friday, along with Iowa Central’s Lee Eppie emerging victorious in the 400 in 47.28.