T-R PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER - Northern Iowa redshirt sophomore Deonté Dean competes in the 100-meter preliminaries during Friday’s running of the Drake Relays at Drake Stadium in Des Moines. Dean tied for 17th place in a time of 10.626 seconds.

DES MOINES — Deonté Dean has embraced his sudden veteran role on the University of Northern Iowa’s 4×100-meter relay.

As the only returning member from the 4×100 team that finished second at last year’s Drake Relays and later won an Outdoor MVC title, Dean and the Panthers are focused on gratitude, and are certainly grateful to be back in Saturday’s 4×100 finals after an eighth-place finish in Friday’s prelims.

Hunter Manock, Jerome Jessup, Jack Sumners and Dean ran 41.30 as the last team in for the 4×100 finals at 3:18 p.m. on Saturday.

“This is our first run of this for this year,” said Dean, a 2021 Marshalltown High School graduate. “I really can’t complain. Jack Sumners had a great handoff to me. We’ll clean up a few other things, and look at expanding on that for the conference meet.”

Dean said the relay and the team in general is just trying to have fun.

“Our team isn’t the same as last year, but as an individual, it’s up to you to go out there and compete,” Dean said. “And I’m learning that if you have fun and don’t necessarily focus on the outcome, you’re a lot more likely to do better. It’s all about trusting in your training, that’s all there is to it.”

Coming into the meet dealing with a hamstring pull, Dean tied for 17th in the 100-meter university/college prelims in 10.63.

“Not near my PR, but again: gratitude,” Dean said. “I’m happy to be out here and feeling as close to healthy as I have been in awhile. I don’t take this for granted — college is short and I want to make the most of every opportunity, and I’ve got a great support system behind me.”

After Saturday’s 4×100 finals, Dean will turn his attention to the rest of track season, including work in his signature event, the 200-meter dash.

Dean was second at last year’s MVC Outdoor Championships in the event.

“That gave me a really big taste for this race, and I’m hungry to get a chance to tackle it outdoors,” Dean said. “The turn is probably the weakest part of my 200 so I just need to execute on that and lock in on that in these upcoming practices — grind out those weaknesses. It’s easy to have the strengths but working at those weaknesses will be a game changer.”

• Wartburg’s Jensen Clapp, a Grundy Center alum, was on the anchor leg of the men’s 4×400 that finished 14th in 3:18.45. Clapp was the last to receive the baton after Derrick Smith, Jacob Kamara and Ian Neyens.

Bethel College qualified with the top time of 3:11.79.

• Hawkeye Community College sophomore Kendall See and the RedTails’ 4×200-meter relay team took 27th in Friday night’s university/college timed final.

See, a 2022 Marshalltown High School graduate, ran the second leg for the RedTails. Kallie Mincks, See, Grace Rathe and Tasha Williams teamed up for a time of 1 minute, 50.94 seconds.

South Dakota won the event in 1:34.24.