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Huskie quartets impress at Drake Relays

April 27, 2012
Chanel Kellyman

Chanel Kellyman

The Northern Illinois track and field team kept their record-breaking season going Friday at the Drake Relays, as the team set three new school records.

The Huskies’ new standards came in the 4×100, 4×200 and distance medley relays, which now makes 22 new school records that have been set during the entire 2011-12 season.

“The 4×100, distance medley and 4×200 relay competitors rose to the occasion, producing great times with strong finishes,” said Huskie head coach Connie Teaberry.

“In these relays, we produced our highest places at the Drake Relays. The 4×100 will be our first running event to compete in a final and we are excited. Our individual efforts in the 100 (meters) and 100 hurdles showed good execution, but the ladies didn’t have enough to produce times to advance to finals.”

The quartet of Chanel Kellyman, Janay Mitchell, Roneisha Frye and Rasheta Butler got the day off to a good start in the 4×100 relay with a 45.52 clip to get the school record, beating out the old record of 45.64 set in 2011 by Kellyman, Frye, Brittany Smith and Butler. Additionally, the time was the third-best run in the prelims – trailing only national powers Texas and Arkansas – and moved NIU on to tomorrow’s final.

Courtney Oldenburg

Courtney Oldenburg

Not to be outdone by the sprinters, Courtney Oldenburg, Julianne Cronin, Rebecca Cronin and Juliane Totzke made their own record-setting run in the DMR, clocking in at 11:46.58 to finish 10th. The NIU relay easily surpassed the old school record of 12:14.80, set in 2010 by Sunsea Shaw, Butler, Rebecca Cronin and Oldenburg.

The Huskies kept that trend going into the evening hours in the 4×200 relay.

With Mitchell, Frye, Butler and Kellyman teaming up again, the Huskies crossed the finish line with a 1:36.68 mark to win the first heat and take second place overall. The time was a full second under the previous best of 1:37.99 set at last year’s Drake Relays.

Northern’s 4×400 relay team of Kellyman, both Cronin sisters and Butler took 23rd place behind a 3:51.77 time.

In individual events, Frye just missed out on advancing to the finals in the 100 hurdles by placing 11th with a time of 14.07. Meanwhile, in the 100 meters, Mitchell took 13th at 12.24, Kellyman was 14th with a 12.25 mark and Butler finished 25th after a 12.78 run.

The Huskies will look to replicate their early success Saturday at Drake with the 4×100 finals, the sprint medley relay and Jenner Sio in the triple jump. In addition, several other NIU athletes will head to Whitewater, Wis. for the UW-Whitewater Alternative Meet.

For more information on NIU track and field and Huskie athletics, visit www.niuhuskies.com.