DES MOINES, Iowa – Western Michigan track and field's Maria McDaniel repeated as a Drake Relays Champion after winning the 5,000-meter run to highlight Thursday's action for the Broncos.
McDaniel, who on the 5,000 in 2015, ran a season's-best time of 16:53.64 to win the unseeded race. McDaniel bested Minnesota's Molly Eastman by nearly eight seconds for the victory.
"Maria took the lead from the get go and had a whole straightaway's worth of space for the entire race," said head coach Kelly Lycan. "Coach Sheehan has done a great job taking her step by step.