Grunder Wins Hammer Throw on Rainy Final Day of Drake Relays

DRAKE RELAYS

DES MOINES, Iowa – Battling pouring rain throughout the entire competition, Iowa-native and Kansas State senior Brady Grunder came through in a big way in his first Drake Relays appearance since high school as he claimed the gold medal in the hammer throw on Saturday as the 108th running of the historic meet came to a close.

The Wildcats finished the three-day competition with two first-place finishes courtesy of Grunder and fellow thrower Shadae Lawrence, as well as 12 top-five finishes.

“All in all, we had an extremely productive weekend under very adverse conditions,” Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto said. “Today’s conditions were not the best, but we had some very good performances. Brady won the hammer throw and the two girls in the hammer throw competed well. I also thought the girls in the Distance Medley Relay and the 4x100 Meter Relay did a very nice job.”

Opening competition in heat two, Grunder wasted no time jumping into the lead after recording a throw of 61.54m/201-11. On his second attempt, he became the only athlete in the competition to eclipse the 62-meter mark after a launch of 62.13m/203-10. It was not until his final attempt in the series that he posted his winning mark of 63.82m/209-04 to win the gold medal in the event.

Fellow senior Kyle Smith also finished in the top-five in the men’s hammer throw, finishing in fourth place after a final-attempt throw of 60.81m/199-06.

K-State women’s hammer throwers continued their top form, paced by junior Janee' Kassanavoid who finished in second place in the competition with a final mark of 62.93m/206-05 to finish as the events top collegian. Freshman Helene Ingvaldsen finished in the top-five as well, taking fifth place after a toss of 60.91m/199-10 on her second attempt.

“Brady and Janee’ both were able to compete well enough to finish at the top of their competitions today,” throws coach Greg Watson said. “It was especially exciting Brady win since he is an Iowa native. He has not competed in this meet since high school, where he finished in second place. He got a little redemption today.”

On the track, the women’s distance medley relay squad had a strong run despite rainy conditions. Comprised of Paige Stratioti, Zanri Van der Merwe, Marija Stambolic and Morgan Wedekind, the group crossed the finish line in 11:30.49 to claim fourth place in the event. The time is the sixth-fastest in program history and marks the first time that the Wildcats have recorded a top-10 program time in the event since 2014.

The women’s shuttle hurdles squad used an impressive time of 57.28 to win heat two and solidify its spot in the Saturday afternoon final in the race. Made up of Nina Schultz, Ariel Okorie, Lauren Taubert and Claudette Allen, the quartet returned less than two hours later to claim third place in the final with a time of 56.90, 38-hundreths of a second faster than their qualifying time.

After qualifying for the 4x100 meter relay final on Friday with a time of 45.92, the relay squad of Akia Guerrier, Allen, Ranae McKenzie and Wurrie Njadoe made up one position in the finals with a time of 45.59 to finish in third place behind first-place Iowa (45.17) and Ohio State (45.37).

K-State also had plenty of post-collegians in action at the Drake Relays. Former First Team All-American Kim Williamson, representing Jamaica, claimed second in the women’s high jump elite section with a final mark of 1.88m/6-02. Alyx Treasure, representing Canada, also posted a mark of 1.88m/6-02 to finish in third place behind Williamson on missed attempts.

Brittany Smith, a current volunteer assistant coach for the Wildcats, finished in second place in Friday’s elite shot put section. Representing Team USA, the thrower recorded a mark of 18.10m/59-04.75 to claim the silver medal in the event.

The Wildcats return home next weekend for the Ward Haylett Invitational, held at R.V. Christian Track, on May 6. More information on the Wildcats’ lone home meet of the 2017 outdoor season can be found on the team’s home meet information page here.

For the latest on K-State track and field follow @kstatesports and @KStateTFXC on Twitter or Kansas State Track & Field/Cross Country on Facebook.

Drake Relays Day 3

Drake Stadium

Des Moines, Iowa

Men’s 3,000-Meter Steeplechase

7. Colton Donahue – 9:14.64

Women’s 4x100 Meter Relay Final

3. Guerrier-Allen-R. McKenzie-Njadoe – 45.49

Women’s Shuttle Hurdles Prelim

2. Schultz-Okorie-Taubert-Allen – 57.28Q

Women’s Shuttle Hurdles Final

3. Schultz-Okorie-Taubert-Allen – 56.90

Men’s Distance Medley Relay

11. Ellis-Harrison-Loevenstein-Koch – 10:04.34

Women’s Distance Medley Relay

4. Stratioti-Van der Merwe-Stambolic-Wedekind – 11:30.49

Women’s Pole Vault

- Erin Smith – NH

Women’s Shot Put

14. Jess St. John – 14.12m/46-04

Men’s Discus Throw

10. Brett Neelly – 51.66m/169-06

Men’s Hammer Throw

1. Brady Grunder – 63.82m/209-04

4. Kyle Smith – 60.81m/199-06

- Mitch Dixon – FOUL

Women’s Hammer Throw

2. Janee’ Kassanavoid – 62.93m/206-05

5. Helene Ingvaldsen – 60.91m/199-10

Schedule