DES MOINES, IOWA, April 23–26 — The Drake Relays rarely disappoints.
With its usual mix of some things old, some things new and, of course, the famed blue oval, the 115th iteration of this still-venerable Midwest track & field carnival provided just what the sport needs.
Though it’s a relays meet at heart, world-class throwers and jumpers and elite milers eclipsed the baton events and provided the raison d’etre for records and spirited competition.
The various and sundry relays weren’t half-bad, to be sure, with Iowa State’s men and Iowa’s women taking home “Drake Relays Cups” for accumulated points in five scored relays, which also gave collegians a chance to shine and prep prior to their conference meets in three weeks.
But for some of the globe’s best throwers in the shot, the hammer and the javelin as well as a bunch of notable 1500/mile types, Drake offered a chance to bust the rust as they began the months-long slog toward the late July USA championships and even later worlds in Tokyo.
Of course, prize money doesn’t hurt, either, but the enthusiastic and appreciative fans at Drake appreciate their efforts and cheer lustily, so it’s easy to understand why this meet smack-dab in the center of Iowa attracts these athletes, who routinely speak of how the crowd inspires them.
First among equals in Drake shot put circles is five-time World/Olympic champ Ryan Crouser, who brainstormed the unique Wednesday shot competition but didn’t compete in Saturday’s WACT shot put, electing to rest a still-rehabbing shoulder. He was also inducted into the Drake Relays Hall of Fame, just in case he wasn’t busy enough already. Not that he wasn’t missed, but rivals Roger Steen, Tripp Piperi and Payton Otterdahl all bettered 70-feet. Steen popped a 70-11¼ (21.62) on his last throw to sneak by Piperi, who had hit 70-7¼ (21.52) on his first. Otterdahl was 3rd at 70-2¼ (21.39).
The old saw is that “records are made to be broken,” but truth is that “breakage” can take a long time.
In the case of the men’s WACT long jump, it took 64 years as Minnesota soph Charles Godfred went 26-4¼ (8.03) on his second jump to top Ralph Boston’s 1961 Relays mark of 26-1¼; Godfred’s wind-aided winning jump of 26-8¼ (8.13) came on his third try and held off Cameron Crump, who hit 26-5¾ (8.07) on his sixth attempt. “I just need to be myself and get the work done,” Godfred said.
Someone else new to Drake was Paris LJ gold medalist Tara Davis-Woodhall, whose first jump in her Relays debut was a record 22-1¾ (6.75), a quarter-inch better than Brittney Reese’s 9-year-old mark. “I thought I had a big 7-meter jump in me today. I was waiting for the tailwind but everybody else was getting it,” she said. “It was awesome. The energy in the stadium was insane. I’m so grateful to compete in front of such a great crowd and show them what we have.”
Another very old record went by the boards in the women’s mile, which offered a plethora of plots. Although seven Olympians were racing, ’23 U.S. steeplechase champ Krissy Gear took it in 4:23.69, which easily took down Francie Larrieu’s 50-year-old 4:40.2 record. Known more as a ’chaser, Gear dropped down successfully twice this week, claiming the Drake Blue/USATF Road Mile Championship in 4:24 on Tuesday. Even more notably, Oregon junior Silan Ayyildiz ran 4:25.50 in 4th, the fastest-ever collegiate outdoor mile time, bettering Angela Chalmers’ 18-year-old Drake record by nearly 4 seconds.
Sandwiched in between the two were native Iowans Shelby Houlihan (4:23.84) and Karissa Schweizer (4:25.27), who finished 2-3 behind Gear in a return to the track where they starred so often as preps. “I really wanted to come back swinging and I feel like I’ve been able to,” said Houlihan. Schweizer echoed those sentiments, noting that “It’s so fun to be back. I really tried to work on my race tactics and see how it went for me.”
Vincent Ciattei, like Gear, claimed Tuesday’s road mile (3:55) and Saturday’s stacked 1500, moving from 7th with a lap left to the win in 3:39.49 off a 53.28 final 400. Damien Dilcher went with Ciattei, closing in 53.63 to fall just back in 3:39.99. Craig Engels was 3rd and Josh Thompson 5th.
Sophie Novak led a loaded field in the WACT steeple, passing Elise Thorner with 200m left for a 9:28.48 win and a meet record; Thorner ran 9:30.41. Three other runners joined those two on the year’s top-15 world list. “Walking away today with the win definitely makes me feel really like satisfied,” Novak said. “I just love racing, that’s what encapsulates it for me. I just love putting myself out there.”
Drake has always had great hurdles races, from the always-entertaining shuttle hurdle relays to the 100/110 highs to the one-lap variety. OG gold medalist Masai Russell ran into a headwind but still clocked a12.74 for an easy win. “I was running into a negative wind but that gave me a little more confidence,” she said. “It was a good execution. The goal was to win, and I did just that. The goal is to run fast in July and September and get the rhythm back.”
Rudy Winkler took the WACT hammer title, throwing 266-0 (81.08) on his third toss to beat Minnesota’s Kostas Zaltos (250-2/76.26) and Angelos Mantzouranis (248-4/75.71). “I’ve been training really well,” said Winkler. “My opener was last week and I threw 78.27 or something like that, below what I was expecting. So this week, 80 was in the cards in terms of how my training was going. My furthest throw felt good but it felt like there is more there, which is exciting.”
The vault has always been a Drake crowd favorite and KC Lightfoot didn’t disappoint, jumping 18-8¼ (5.70) for the win. “I had a good time. The winds were pretty swirly so it was a little bit of tough conditions, but I gave it all I had and it was pretty good. It was a little chilly for what I’m used to. I’m kind of a 70-degree-plus guy.”
Nebraska’s Till Steinforth grabbed the world lead in the decathlon with his 8265, not far off his 8287 PR of last June. He broke Relays legend Kip Janvrin’s 29-year-old mark.
“I don’t know who holds the record for the most decathlons over 8000 points but [Janvrin] is definitely up there. It shows me what level I can get to,” Steinforth said. “I’m proud that I have been able to achieve such a high score early in the year after some major competitions. I think the peak shape is missing right now [but] that’s gonna come in a month or so.”
DRAKE RELAYS MEN’S RESULTS
Invitational Men
400: 1. Zandrian Barnes’ (Jam) 45.29; 2. Khaleb McRae (unat) 45.38; 3. Chidi Okezie’ (Ngr) 45.46.
1500: 1. Vincent Ciattei (unat) 3:39.49.
110H(-2.0): 1. De’vion Wilson (unat) 13.46; 2. Jamal Britt (unat) 13.62; 3. Connor Schulman (unat) 13.64; 4. Lafranz Campbell’ (Jam) 13.68.
400H: 1. Chris Robinson (unat) 48.92; 2. James Smith (AzF) 49.11; 3. Wiseman Mukhobe’ (Ken) 49.43.
LJ: 1. **Charles Godfred’ (Mn-Ngr) 26-8¼w (8.13) (26-4¼/8.03); 2. Cameron Crump (unat) 26-5¾w (8.07) (25-6/7.77).
SP: 1. Roger Steen (Vel) 70-11¼ (21.62); 2. Tripp Piperi (EAN) 70-7¼ (21.52); 3. Payton Otterdahl (Asics) 70-2¼ (21.39); 4. Josh Awotunde (Shore) 69-11 (21.31); 5. Jordan Geist (Iron) 68-10½ (20.99).
HT: 1. Rudy Winkler (NYAC) 266-0 (81.08); 2. Kostas Zaltos’ (Mn-Gre) 250-2 (76.26); 3. **Angelos Mantzouranis’ (Mn-Gre) 248-4 (75.71).
JT: 1. *Keyshawn Strachan’ (Nb-Bah) 265-9 (81.01); 2. Curtis Thompson (TS) 265-4 (80.88); 3. Marc Anthony Minichello (unat) 263-6 (80.33).
University Men’s Events
100(-2.1): 1. Samuel Blaskowski (WiLC) 10.37.
St: 1. Daniel Michalski (unat) 8:27.81; 2. Casey Comber (UArmBD) 8:40.43; 3. ***Luke Knepp (Ia) 8:43.84.
110H(-2.1): 1. Darius Brown (DeP) 13.58; 2. **Kai Graves-Blanks (Ia) 13.75.
400H: 1. Zach Turner (Doane) 50.81.
4 x 400: 1. North Carolina A&T 3:05.36.
4 x 800: 1. Iowa 7:21.88; 2. Iowa State 7:23.10; 3. Nebraska 7:26.51.
4 x 1600: 1. Iowa State 16:38.06.
SpMed: 1. Iowa State 3:17.23; 2. DePaul 3:17.41; 3. Iowa 3:18.46.
4 x 110H: II–1. Central College 58.18. III–1. Minnesota State 58.06; 2. South Dakota 58.15.
HJ: 1. Tyus Wilson (Nb) 7-3 (2.21); 2. Jaivon Harrison (GVal) 7-3; 3. Romaine Beckford’ (Jam) 7-1¾ (2.18).
PV: 1. KC Lightfoot (Puma) 18-8¼ (5.70).
TJ: 1. ***Lebon Attoungbre’ (IaWn-CI) 52-11w (16.13).
SP: 1. Isaiah Schafer (Mn) 62-11¼ (19.18).
DT: 1. Mitchell Weber (unat) 199-6 (60.80); 2. Yakob Ekoue (WiEC) 197-8 (60.25); 3. Kai Chang’ (Jam) 193-5 (58.95).
HT: 1. **Ryan Johnson (Ia) 233-5 (71.16).
JT: 1. **Riley Marx (KsSt) 231-9 (70.65).
Dec: 1. *Till Steinforth’ (Nb-Ger) 8265; 2. *Carter Morton (NnIa) 7882; 3. ***Abraham Vogelsang’ (Ia-Nor) 7874; 4. *Emil Uhlin’ (KsSt-Swe) 7788.
DRAKE WOMEN’S RESULTS
Invitational Women
800: 1. *Klaudia Kazimierska’ (Or-Pol) 2:02.03; 2. Mallory Lindaman (unat) 2:02.75; 3. Alexina Teubel (unat) 2:03.21.
Mile: 1. Krissy Gear (Hoka) 4:23.69; 2. Shelby Houlihan (unat) 4:23.84; 3. Karissa Schweizer (Nike) 4:25.27; 4. *Silan Ayyildiz’ (Or-Tur) 4:25.50 (x, 8 C).
St: 1. Sophie Novak (unat) 9:28.98; 2. Elise Thorner’ (GB) 9:30.41; 3. Angelina Ellis (UArmDS) 9:34.46; 4. Janette Schraft (unat) 9:37.87.
100H(-1.4): 1. Masai Russell (Nike) 12.74; 2. Denisha Cartwright’ (Bah) 12.93; 3. Rayniah Jones (unat) 13.00; 4. Aasia Laurencin’ (StL) 13.02.
400H: 1. Ashley Miller’ (Zim) 56.07; 2. Tia-Adana Belle’ (Bar) 56.09; 3. Grace Claxton’ (PR) 56.51; 4. Bianca Stubler (unat) 56.52.
LJ: 1. Tara Davis-Woodhall (Nike) 22-1¾ (6.75); 2. Sydney Willits (unat) 21-5½ (6.54); 3. Ese Brume’ (Ngr) 20-10½ (6.36); 4. Quanesha Burks (unat) 20-8 (6.30).
HT: 1. Brooke Anderson (Nike) 247-0 (75.28); 2. Rachel Richeson (EAN) 238-8 (72.76); 3. Annette Echikunwoke (Nike) 236-11 (72.23); 4. Jillian Shippee (EAN) 233-9 (71.26).
JT: 1. Rhema Otabor’ (Bah) 190-11 (58.20);
2. Madison Wiltrout (unat) 190-9 (58.14) (AL);
3. *McKyla Van Der Westhuizen’ (Rice-SA) 186-3 (56.77);
4. Maddie Harris (Nb) 185-4 (56.50); 5. *Elizabeth Korczak’ (Ia-GB) 180-6 (55.02).
University Women
800: 1. Emilie Meyer (Drake) 2:03.95.
1500: 1. **Juliet Cherubet’ (Or-Ken) 4:13.11; 2. Erin Reidy (Mn) 4:14.31; 3. *Erin Vringer’ (Ut-Can) 4:14.84.
St: 1. *Kiki Connell (IaSt) 10:16.83.
5000: 1. *Rosina Machu-Shuri (Gonz) 15:54.97.
100H(-0.3): 1. Alexis Glasco (Ky) 13.32.
400H: 1. Safhia Hinds (KsSt) 58.04.
4 x 100: 1. Ohio State 43.91; 2. Iowa 44.91.
4 x 200: 1. Kentucky 1:34.45.
4 x 400: 1. Iowa 3:31.13; 2. Kentucky 3:35.24.
4 x 800: 1. Oregon 8:30.12; 2. Iowa State 8:40.86.
4 x 1600: 1. Oregon State 19:04.83; 2. Notre Dame 19:04.88.
SpMed: 1. Iowa 3:44.12; 2. Iowa State 3:44.53; 3. Kentucky 3:49.02.
DisMed: 1. Utah 11:07.60; 2. Iowa State 11:09.58; 3. Bradley 11:13.80.
4 x 100H: III–1. Minnesota State 56.42; 2. Northern Iowa 57.46. IV–1. Kentucky 54.31; 2. Ohio State 56.98.
HJ: 1. Jenna Rogers (Nb) 6-2 (1.88); 2. **Sharie Enoe’ (KsSt-Jam) 6-¾ (1.85); 3. ***Karsyn Leeling (Nb) 6-¾.
PV: 1. Emily Grove (unat) 14-6¾ (4.44); 2. ***Anna Willis (SD) 14-¾ (4.29); 3. *Marleen Mulla’ (SD-Est) 14-¾.
LJ: 1. Lishanna Ilves’ (Nb-Est) 20-9¾w (6.34) (20-9¼/6.33).
TJ: 1. Mercy Honesty’ (IaWn-Ngr) 42-10¾w (13.07).
SP: 1. Katie Fare (NnIa) 56-6½ (17.23).
DT: 1. Kalynn Meyer (Nb) 190-2 (57.96); 2. Veronica Fraley (unat) 187-0 (57.01); 3. Estel Valeanu’ (Va-Isr) 187-0 (57.00).
HT: 1. **Anthonett Nabwe’ (Mn-Lbr) 220-3 (67.14); 2. **Hadley Streit (Mn) 213-1 (64.95).
JT: 1. ***Jenessa Ruder (Nb) 175-6 (53.50).
Hept: 1. Jordan Gray (unat) 5517; 2. *Shaina Zinter (Wi) 5261; 3. Emily Swanson (SiouxF) 5260.
