Morningside’s Kati Kneifl used a school-record performance to reign in the women’s javelin at the Drake Relays.

Kati Kneifl, a junior from Sheldon, Iowa, is the 2018 Drake Relays champion in the women’s javelin after she reigned over a 19-athlete field that included 13 NCAA Division I competitors on Friday in Des Moines, Iowa.

Kneifl won the event with a school-record distance of 152-2 to break the former Morningside standard of 148-10 set by three-time NAIA All-American Vanessa Warzecha in 2007.

Kneifl’s winning distance came on her final throw of the day. Her distance is the second longest in the NAIA this season.

Kneifl finished almost four feet in front of Madison Wolf of NCAA Division II Fort Hays State University, the runner-up with a best of 148-3. Kneifl was in first place with a distance of 148-4 prior to her final throw.

The Mustangs also made a strong showing with a third place finish in the college division men’s 3200-meter relay, where Zach Ambrose, a freshman from Council Bluffs, Iowa; Jacob Green, a senior from Sioux Falls, S.D.; Jason Kenny, a senior from Schaller, Iowa; and Dylan Lindstrom, a freshman from Hickman, Neb., combined for a time of 7:38.85 for the fastest time in the NAIA this season. Morningside finished behind a pair of NCAA Division II programs in Emporia State University (7:34.35) and Augustana University (7:35.45). The Mustangs finished over two seconds in front of Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) rival Northwestern College, which ran fourth in 7:41.07.

Ambrose led off with a split of 1:55.48, followed by splits of 1:54.59 by Green, 1:52.20 by Kenny and 1:56.59 by Lindstrom.

Morningside finished fifth in the women’s college division sprint medley relay with a time of 4:06.24 from the team of Aurora Arevalo, a junior from Lenox, Iowa; Eleka Joseph, a senior from Saint John’s, Antigua; Rose Pelelo-Ray, a junior from Merrill, Iowa; and Michelle Mumm, a senior from Neola, Iowa. All four teams that finished ahead of the Mustangs were NCAA Division II schools.

Reece Jackson, a junior from Marcus, Iowa, competed in the men’s 110-meter hurdles in a field comprised mostly of NCAA Division I competitors. Jackson finished fifth in his heat and 13th overall with a time of 14.90 seconds.