DES MOINES, Iowa — The UC San Diego track and field team made their first ever appearance at the Drake Relays, one of the country's top track and field meets, on Friday and Saturday, with eleven Tritons in action.
 
The women's 4x400-meter relay team of Maxine Schultz, Idara Ibekwe, Mckenna Meaney, and Amari Jenkins produced the Tritons' best performance at the meet, finishing at the top of their heat, and fourth overall with a time that was not far from their season best. Katie Cuneo was UC San Diego's top field athlete in Iowa, earning a spot in the women's javelin throw finals, finishing eighth overall.
 
The Drake Relays were one of two meets for the Tritons this weekend, with most of the team spending Friday and Saturday at UC Irvine for the Steve Scott Invitational.
 
INSIDE THE MEET: ALL UC SAN DIEGO RESULTS
WOMEN:

• Maxine Schultz, Idara Ibekwe, Mckenna Meaney, Amari Jenkins (4x400-meter Relay) — 1^st in heat, 4^th overall (3:47.00)
• Katie Cuneo (Javelin) — 8^th overall (135' 6")
• Maxine Schultz (400-meter Dash) — 12^th overall (56.51)
• Mattie Cecilio (Triple Jump) — 20^th overall (37' 10.75")
• Zeinab Torabi (400-meter Hurdles) — 20^th overall (62.21)

MEN:

• Zach Aanstoots (High Jump) — 13^th overall (6' 6.75")
• Nolan Crespo (100-meter Dash) — 15^th in RD 1 (10.96)
• Kalobe Jimenez (110 Hurdles) — 18^th in RD 1 (15.08),
• Blake Walkowiak (Discus) — No Mark

QUOTABLE
"We had a few good performances but the rain certainly had an impact on us," Co-Head Coach Tony Salerno said. "Still, it was great be a part of one of America's biggest and most historic relay meets"
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• While they topped their heat, the Tritons' 4x400 relay team missed out on a podium finish by 0.001 seconds; UC San Diego's official time was 3:46.999 seconds, while third-place Bradley University's was 3:46.998
• UC San Diego was the only team from the West Coast — Washington, Oregon, or California — to make the trip to Des Moines; their closest competitor was the Air Force Academy, from Colorado

UP NEXT
The Tritons are set to split their squad again next weekend, with a pair of meets on the schedule for May 6 and 7. Friday's action will be under the lights at Cal State Fullerton, where UC San Diego will take part in the Fullerton Last-Chance Twilight meet. On Saturday, Tritons will be in Los Angeles for the Occidental Invitational, hosted by Occidental College.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.