Mixed emotions and more top-five performances highlighted day two of competition at the Drake Relays for the ISU women’s track and field team.

For several athletes, Friday’s competition provided a bright outlook on remaining meets on the team’s schedule.

The 4×400-meter relay preliminaries featured a group of athletes on the team who had yet to compete together for a race this season.

The relay team was started and anchored by its most experienced runners. Senior Kendra White led off for the Cyclones and gained a lead in first place before passing the baton to junior sprinter/hurdler Alyssa Gonzalez.

“It was different getting use to having to run without hurdles in my way,” Gonzalez said.”The speed was something I haven’t been doing, since usually I’ve been doing 60-second 400s over the hurdles.”

Junior Kaci Storm and redshirt senior Hannah Willms finished the race for Iowa State, with Willms crossing the finish line at 3:43.61.

“Our first two legs were really strong, and then we want to run even faster because they did so well,” Storm said.

The group finished fourth in its heat and 16th overall in the event.

“[The strategy was to] stack it from the front and hold on through the end,” White said.

While excitement surrounded the relay team, one of Iowa State’s most talented athletes experienced struggles. 

After performing below her expectations at previous Drake Relays, senior Christina Hillman had her sight set on returning to a high level of performance in her final trip back to the meet.

Instead, the thrower was unable to perform better than fourth place in either of the two events she competed in. Hillman finished fourth in the shot put with a mark of 51-7 1/4. Soon after, she exchanged her shot put for a discus and finished 25th with a mark of 135-3.

Sophomore Marine Vallet continued the roller coaster day for the Cyclones with a fifth-place performance in the high jump, recording a mark of 5-8. Willms joined Vallet in the event, finishing in a three-way tie for 12th place.

In the long jump, freshman Jhoanmy Luque recorded a mark of 19-9, finishing fourth in the event. 

Redshirt seniors Anna Holtermann and Kayla Sanborn will begin the final day of the Drake Relays for Iowa State in the hammer throw at 9 a.m.