Kennedy and Deleston Impressive for DePaul Track & Field
5/1/2005 12:00:00 AM | TRACK AND FIELD
CHICAGO - The men's track and field team took part in both the 96th annual Drake Relays and the Redbird Invitational this past Friday and Saturday. The Drake Relays, a meet rich in tradition, was held in Des Moines, Iowa, at Drake University. The Redbird Invitational was hosted by Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois.
A select group of only five Blue Demon men traveled to the Drake Relays to compete in the 1600 sprint medley relay and the 1500 meter run.
Gavin Kennedy fell less than one second shy of the DePaul school record in the 1500 meter run, and merely tenths of a second away from his personal best. Kennedy finished the race in 3:50.07. His impressive performance at one of the most competitive outdoor meets in the nation earned a fourth place spot.
The sprint medley relay team of Jamal Cornelious, Donnie Smith, Rich Fugiel, and Richard Byrne notched a 13th place finish. The group combined for a time of 3:34.06, marking the inaugural competition in the event for the DePaul men this outdoor season.
Similar success followed the team on Saturday at the Redbird Invitational, where the group competed against area universities.
Rashard Deleston posted a season best leap in the long jump that landed him in first place. Deleston bested his distance in the finals with a 6.99 meter jump.
Deleston's performance was continued with a fourth place finish in the triple jump. He vaulted 14.33 meters to achieve a personal and season best in the event.
Webster Jones also had his springs on for the day, posting a fourth place finish in the high jump for the Blue Demons. Jones tied his season best of 1.88 meters in the qualifiers, and rounded out the day with a 1.85 meter hop in the finals.
A familiar face around DePaul, Larry Inanga, a former Blue Demon track standout, competed at the Redbird Invitational. Inanga championed both the 200 meter dash and the 400 meter dash with winning times of 21.70 and 47.51, respectively.
Next weekend, the Blue Demons will continue the outdoor season in Indianapolis, Indiana, to participate in the Stan Lyons Twilight on May 5-6. The meet, hosted by Butler University, will take place at Indiana University Michael A. Carroll Track and Field Stadium.
Â