ST. LOUIS -- Isaac Basten delivered one of the most memorable performances by a Drake athlete on Jim Duncan Track to energize the faithful crowd Friday at Drake Stadium as part of the 112th Drake Relays.
Basten held off Moad Zahafi of Texas Tech in an eagerly anticipated 1,500 showdown, producing the first victory in the event by a Drake male athlete since 1981, edging the Moroccan challenger by a 3:39.11 to 3:39.59 margin. Zahafi entered the meet as the world leader in the 800 at 1:43.69, but Basten closed in 56.47 in comparison to the Texas Tech standout running the final 400 in 57.