DES MOINES, Iowa – Diamond Riley (St. Louis, Mo.) claimed top honors in the open section of the triple jump at the Drake Relays as the Northern Illinois University women's track and field team competed at both Drake and the Kip Janvrin Open, hosted by Simpson College, this weekend. 

"This weekend at both Simpson and Drake I saw determination and desire to improve," said NIU Director of Track and Field Connie Teaberry. "We have our home meet left to put it all together before the MAC Championships. The talent on this team is crazy, but they have to continue to want to be the best, not just in the conference but nationally.   

"They will fine tune this week, tapper off, touch up some execution and race strategy issues and prepare to put some exceptional marks and times down at home in front of friends and family. Opportunities are now limited, so they must rise to the challenge."

A week after setting a new personal best in the triple jump, Riley matched that mark while winning the open section of the triple jump at the Drake Relays with a leap of 12.75 meters (41-10.0). Riley's jump came on her third attempt of the competition and was also good enough to top the field in the invitational section of the triple jump, which was won by Nebraska's Velecia Williams with a mark of 12.61 meters. 

In the 100-meter hurdles, Scout Regular (St. Louis, Mo.) ran a time of 13.89 seconds to finish 13th. Skylynn Blue (Indianapolis, Ind.) also posted a top-15 finish in the 100-meter dash, running 12.12 seconds. 

At the Kip Janvrin Open in Indianola, Iowa, NIU recorded six top-10 finishes, including a pair of runner-up performances from Aquilla St. Louis (D'Abadie, Trinidad and Tobago). St. Louis was second in the long jump with a mark of 5.53 meters (18-01.75) and second in the 100 hurdles with a time of 14.44 seconds. Kendal Only (Huntley, Ill.) was fourth in the hurdles in 14.93 seconds. 

In the triple jump, Only claimed fourth in with a leap of 11.58 meters (38-00.0). Lovie Annafi (Chicago, Ill.) was sixth in 11.44 meters (37-06.50) and Aniya Barton (Lansing, Ill.) took seventh with a jump of 10.89 meters (35-08.75). 

NIU will be back in action next Saturday, May 6, for the final meet of the regular season as it hosts the Huskie Classic at the NIU Track and Field Complex. Field events are scheduled to begin at 10:15 a.m. with action on track set for 1 p.m. 

Drake Relays

100-meter Dash 
15. Skylynn Blue, 12.12
20. Suerethia Henderson, 12.25
26. Kimone Hines, 12.36

400-meter Dash
18. Talayssia Sanders, 57.49
19. Roshell Rowe, 57.53
22. Kennedy Crawford, 58.14

100-meter Hurdles 
13. Scout Regular, 13.89

Triple Jump
1. Diamond Riley, 12.75m (41-10.0)

1600 Sprint Medley 
6. Henderson, Rowe, Sanders, Crawford, 4:04.10

Kip Janvrin Open

800-meter Run 
30. Julia Finegan, 2:19.95
47. Emma Planck, 2:24.68
54. Emma Vorpagel, 2:26.83
56. Kayla La Fontain, 2:27.54
70. Olivia Southby, 2:36.32

1,500-meter Relay 
24. Emma Planck, 4:47.45
47. Julia Finegan, 4:54.54

5,000-meter Run 
35. Joy Jackson, 18:08.42

100-meter Hurdles 
2. Aquilla St. Louis, 14.44
4. Kendal Only, 14.93

Long Jump 
2. Aquilla St. Louis, 5.53m (18-01.75)

Triple Jump 
4. Kendal Only, 11.58m (38-00.0)
6. Lovie Annafi, 11.44m (37-06.50)
7. Aniya Barton, 10.89m (35-08.75)