Historically, individual event titles have been hard to earn at the Drake Relays for the ASU women's track and field team.
Before this weekend's action, the women had only netted one victory at the meet, when Fiona Daly won the high jump in 1999.
But senior Jessica Pressley and the women's 4x400-meter relay changed that Friday and Saturday, as the Sun Devils captured four titles while battling the wind and chilly temperatures of Des Moines, Iowa.
Pressley earned her first victory of the meet Friday when she won the discus with a throw of 51.65 meters, edging out ASU junior Sarah Stevens, who placed second with a toss of 51.44 meters, and senior Tai Battle, whose throw of 48.49 meters earned her fifth.
"They had a tailwind, which is a negative in the discus," ASU coach Greg Kraft said. "You expect [Pressley] to make those adjustments, and she did."
The Sun Devils also finished first and second in the shot put with Pressley once again taking the title with a throw of 17.33 meters. Stevens finished behind her with a toss of 16.78 meters and also placed second in the hammer with a throw of 65.29 meters.
The women's 4x400-meter relay team of senior Jordan Durham, juniors Jeavon Benjamin and Shauntel Elcock and freshman Dominiqué Maloy posted the final victory on the women's side by racing in 3:36.88, winning ASU's first relay title for the women.
"Teams had a tough time making the exchange in traffic," Kraft said. "We made the passes. Every time there was a baton exchange, we increased our lead. They've got to be able to handle that type of traffic."
The lone victory on the men's side came courtesy of senior Matt Turner, who jumped 7.53 meters in the long jump.
"The wind really wreaked havoc on the jumping event," Kraft said. "Matt did a good job of negotiating that."
Weather became a factor in the competitions all weekend and is something the Sun Devils will have to adapt to when they compete at Des Moines for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in June.
"One of the primary reasons we went there was to preview the facility for the national championships," Kraft said. "We had two days of bad weather, so we definitely got to preview all of our plan b options."
Although the meet was minus the pressure and stress associated with the outdoor championships, Kraft said it was still good preparation for the athletes.
"They're going in knowing what to expect and what adjustments they need to make," he said.
While most of the Sun Devils were battling the elements in Iowa, the distance runners were racing in Eugene, Ore., at the Oregon Relays.
Freshman Ben Engelhardt earned first in the second section of the men's 5,000-meter run by clocking in at 14:24.66, and freshman Patrick Milloy took third in 14:28.71. Junior Joey Heller placed second in the third section of the 1,500-meter run with a time of 3:49.71.
Sophomore Krystal Duke captured 13th place in the 5,000-meter run, crossing the line in 16:47.67, while junior Jenna Kingma ran her 1,500-meter event in 4:45.31 to also take 13th.
Reach the reporter at: sarah.mclellan@asu.edu.
