Falcon Fast: 1600 Relay Team Breaks 29-Year School Record Twice

Thursday, March 25

Raleigh, NC

All Day

Bowling Green State University

Raleigh Relays

Photo by: for Statesman

March 27, 2021 | Women's Track and Field

By: by Jason Knavel, Associate AD for Strategic Communications and Brand Advancement

Austin, Texas and Raleigh, N.C. – Bowling Green's 1600 relay team broke a school record that had stood for 29 years, and then did it again, as the Falcons soared at a pair of meets over the weekend -- the Texas Relays and the Raleigh Relays.

The 1600 relay team of Chasatea Brown, Ryen Draper, Savannah Nevels and Iyanna Ross won the Texas Relays, qualifying for the finals Friday in record-breaking fashion. Once finals began Saturday, the team really made an impression, besting their time from the day before by more than six seconds.

RALEIGH RELAYS RESULTS
TEXAS RELAYS RESULTS

BREAKING DOWN THE 1600 RELAY

BGSU is creating a legacy in the relays as the Falcons won both relays at the MAC Indoor Track & Field Championships. The Falcons have won the 1600 relay at the MAC Indoor Championships in back-to-back seasons.
The Falcons added another story by winning the vaunted Texas Relays over the weekend. After breaking the school record in the prelims with a time of 3:43.34, the team took it to the next level by racing to a 3:37.27 to outlast teams from TCU and Colorado.
The previous school record was set in 1992 when Sonya Traylor, Tara Allen, Leslie Moorman and Bonita Thomas ran 3:43.34.
The group of Brown, Draper, Nevels and Ross won the MAC Indoor Championships earlier this year with a time of 3:45.85.
Brown, Ross and Draper are members of a 1600 relay team that had ranked 10^th in school history in 2019 with a time of 3:46.57. Draper, Nevels and Ross were also members of the indoor 1600 relay team in 2019 that hold the school record with a time of 3:41.47.
Entering the weekend, the fastest outdoor 1600 relay time of the season was 3:48.21 by Miami (Ohio). Only nine teams in the entire east region had run a time faster than 3:43.65 entering the weekend.

OTHERS MOVING INTO THE RECORD BOOKS

In North Carolina, Katerina Shuble ran the 1500 in 4:34.95. That time makes her the seventh-fastest female in program history at that distance and the fastest since Cassandra Boyle ran 4:32.54 in 2016.
Senior Kaila Butler placed third in the hammer throw at the Texas Relays with a season-best distance of 212-feet-10 (64.88m). Entering the weekend, only four women in the country had thrown further this year.
In the 400, Iyanna Ross ran a personal best time of 55.26 seconds. She remains seventh in school history in the event.
The 400 relay team of Nevels, Jemeila Hunter, Draper and Brianna Richard posted a time of 46.25 seconds, the eighth-fastest time in program history. As a team, they are the fifth-fastest in school history.
Ebonie Whitted moved into the top 10 in program history in the outdoor shot put. She set a new outdoor PR with a distance of 49-10 (15.19m) to move into ninth.

OTHER NOTABLE RESULTS

Brianna Richard set a new personal best time in the 100 at the Texas Relays with a time of 12.34 seconds.
Zaresha Neal set a season-best mark in the discus at 164-11 (50.28m). She placed ninth in the 'A' competition of the discus.

FROM ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH JAMES GILDON

"Our performance today (Saturday) in the 1600 relay is the result of a lot of hard work, dedication, and goal setting. The ladies set a goal to qualify for the NCAA First Round and they took a great step in that direction."

UP NEXT

BGSU will compete at the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational Friday and Saturday, hosted by the University of Cincinnati.

RALEIGH RELAYS
THURSDAY
10,000 – 32. Sydney Niekamp 36:39.72
FRIDAY
1,500 – 46. Katerina Shuble 4:34.95

TEXAS RELAYS
THURSDAY
200 – 34. Ryen Draper 24.47, 36. Savannah Nevels 24.58
400 – 12. Iyanna Ross 55.26
400 hurdles – 37. Chasatea Brown 1:03.83
Hammer throw – 3. Kaila Butler 212-10 (64.88m)
FRIDAY
100 – 22. Jemeila Hunter 11.76, 57. Brianna Richard 12.34
400 relay – 10. Savannah Nevels, Jemeila Hunter, Ryen Draper, Brianna Richard 46.25
1600 relay – 4. Chasatea Brown, Ryen Draper, Savannah Nevels, Iyanna Ross 3:43.34
Shot put B - 4. Ebonie Whitted 49-10 (15.19m)
Discus A – 9. Zaresha Neal 164-11 (50.28m)
SATURDAY
Shot put A – 9. Zaresha Neal 51-1 (15.57m)
1600 relay finals – 1. Chasatea Brown, Ryen Draper, Savannah Nevels, Iyanna Ross 3:37.27