DES MOINES, Iowa. – Competing against some of the top programs in the country, the UIC men's and women's Track and Field teams saw six new school records and several top 10 finishes at the Drake Relays hosted by Drake University on Thursday, April 24 through Saturday, April 26. There were over 125 universities and colleges represented at this premier collegiate meet.

MEN

• Daniel Chavez set a new school record and placed second in the 5000m Open Unseeded Division in a time of 14:15.74.
• Zac Close set a new school record for freshman in the 5000m with a time of 14:35.76, which placed eighth in the Open Unseeded Division.
• The 4x200m relay team of Amare Harris, Paul Sackman, Shmouel Sackman and Nikolas Norton set a new school record and placed fifth in the Open University Division with a time of 1:27.42.

WOMEN

• Alessia Sarussi set a new school record in the 1500m and placed fifth in the Unseeded Division in a time of 2:11.96.
• The 4xMile relay of Alessia Sarussi, Korima Gonzalez, Emma Dubie and Praise Oyebanji set a new school record and placed seventh in a time of 20:18.14.
• The sprint medley relay team of Deja Richardson, Nyarai Terry, Chinenye Ifeajekwu and Alessia Sarussi finished 10th in the University Division with a time of 4:01.55. 

COACH'S COMMENTS
"Attending the Drake Relays is an exciting opportunity to compete against some of the best teams in the country and creates a memorable experience for our program." said head coach Paul Zavala. "We had several outstanding performances throughout the competition and it was exciting that our team set 6 New School Records this weekend."
 
UP NEXT
The Flames will head to DeKalb, Ill. for a meet at Northern Illinois University Saturday, May 3. The meet will be at the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex.
 
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For more information on UIC's cross country and track & field programs, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_XCTF or @UICFlames) and Instagram (@UIC_XCTF or @uicflames).