Chickasaw obtains Drake goal

Noah Fenske knew Friday morning he needed to “pop” one.As he stepped into the shot put ring inside Drake Stadium for his third and final throw in the preliminary round, he stood in 15th place, and only the top-nine throwers were finals bound.“I didn’t throw very well my first two,” the junior said, “and I really wanted to be a Drake finalist and a Drake placewinner so I knew I needed another few feet. … Luckily, it popped.”And that throw of 54 feet, 2.25 inches lifted Fenske to a sixth-place finish at arguably the biggest track meet of the season.“It’s a big honor for me, and it’s been a goal of mine to get down here since I was a freshman,” he said. “It was just really cool competing at the Drake Relays. Not a lot of people can say they get to do that.”“I think it says a lot about Noah that he came up with that big throw when he needed it,” New Hampton coach Scott Frerichs said. “He didn’t let the pressure get to him; instead, he really rose the occasion. I’m proud of him.”More on the story may be found in the May 1 Tribune.