DES MOINES – As the 4×400-meter relay runners ended their season at the NCAA Regionals on Friday and Saturday at Drake, their mood typified how the meet went for the entire team.

“It was a terrible way to end up a very frustrating meet,” coach Steve Lynn said.

When all was said and done, Iowa State was unable to qualify in any event for the NCAA Championships, with the exception of Neil Hines, who was already set for the decathlon.

“It’s a major disappointment,” Lynn said. “We certainly had guys competing at a high enough level to be able to do that. To end it the way we did was very frustrating.”

The 4×400 team had the best chance coming into the meet with a time among the top 12 in the nation. On pace to run a time that would likely have qualified for Nationals, anchor Jared Graham pulled his hamstring on the back stretch and was unable to finish the race.

“We felt like they could be All-Americans – they are one of the top eight teams in the country,” Lynn said. “They’ve certainly beat teams that will end up in the finals.”

Unfortunately, the team of Graham, Jared Lewis, Elijah Braimah and Tony Stanfield will not get that opportunity, after making the Indoor Championships earlier this season.

“The four-by-four, all year, has really been the anchor of our team on the track. They’ve taken on the top teams in the country and have beaten more people than have beaten them,” Lynn said. “It was just a terrible ending to a great season.”

Graham, Lewis and Braimah also competed in individual races Friday. Graham was unable to advance to the finals of the 400-meter dash, while Lewis and Braimah were unable to advance in the 200. Graham and Braimah closed their ISU careers in the meet, and Lynn shared how they would be missed.

“They are two seniors who have just been huge parts of the team for us,” Lynn said. “They have been team leaders, not just this year but in the past. They provided a lot of great races.”

Despite the rough ending, Lynn was proud of the body of work the team had put together on the season.

“It’s been fun every day in practice. The guys have just been wonderful, as far as their workouts and how they’ve approached things, and the way that they carry themselves on and off the track, and I’m just really proud of all of them,” Lynn said. “I hate to see it end for the ones it ended for today.”