The Drake Relays are a highlight event for the state of Iowa. The four-day track and field meet ran from Wednesday, April 23, to Saturday, April 27. The meet invited professional, college, and high school athletes to Des Moines to compete against the top runners and throwers in the region. The 115th edition of the relays brought excitement, stellar performances, and familiar rainy weather to the Blue Oval.
The University of Northern Iowa’s men’s and women’s track and field teams sent numerous athletes to the relays, hoping to bring a championship flag back home to Cedar Falls.
The heptathletes and decathletes started the long weekend for the Panthers. After a busy Wednesday, the competition continued on Thursday, where UNI athletes continued to shine. In the heptathlon, Joey Perry took fourth for the Panthers with 5,174 total points. For the men, Carter Morton set a new school record in the decathlon, racking up 7,882 points on his way to a second-place finish.
After the conclusion of the heptathlon and decathlon, athletes began warming up for the traditional running events. UNI started with the 1500m to kick off a long weekend of putting one foot in front of the other. In the women’s race, cross-country standout Emma Hoins took seventh in 4:27.02. Former Drake Relays 3200m high school champion Chase Lauman ran 3:56.13 to finish 16th for the men. Stepping down a notch, Chase Knoche continued a strong day for the Northern Iowa mid-distance squad with a sixth-place finish in the men’s 800m. He clocked a time of 1:50.74.
To add to the already wet conditions, Melody Ochana and Caleb Kass took on the 3000m steeplechase on Thursday afternoon. Ochana grabbed 19th in the women’s field with a time of 11:08.66 while Kass ran 9:32 for a 35th-place finish among the men.
As the sun set behind the Des Moines skyline, Caleb Shumaker and Colin Lille were the final Panthers lined up on the Jim Duncan Track for the men’s 10,000m. In the last event of the night, Shumaker finished second in 30:19.98, just six seconds off a Drake Realys flag. Lille secured 18th place in a new personal best of 31:36.90.
Friday marked the first day of field events for Northern Iowa, with the women’s discus throw kicking off the afternoon. Breanna Hackman was the lone Panther in the event, throwing 43.39m on her way to finishing 18th. Josey Dunbar leaped to a third-place finish in the women’s long jump, capitalizing on a strong third attempt that put her only one centimeter away from winning the event. In the men’s shot put, David Russell had a stellar outing after fouling on his first try. Russell managed a 17.66m throw on his fifth attempt, earning him second place and a mere 19 centimeters away from a first place. Teammate Sebastian Swistak also competed in the event, taking fifth with a put of 17.40m. Swistak later participated in the discus throw, capturing 19th with a 47.40m heave. Sophomore Carson Lienau took 23rd with a 40.37m attempt.
In the women’s 400m hurdles, freshman Carlie Jo Fusco raced to a 10th-place finish in 1:01.19, barely missing breaking the 60-second barrier. Without the hurdles, fellow freshman Jersey Jones claimed 11th in the women’s 400m final with a time of 56.83. In the same event on the men’s side, Parker Kiewiet placed 16th in 48.47, and Drew Salfrank finished 20th in 49.07.
Entering the evening, Drake Hanson, Derek Woods, Knoche, and Jake Bosch teamed up for the men’s 4x800m relay. The Panther quartet captured fourth with a total time of 7:28.05. Continuing the relay races, Giada Grimes, Maya Williams, Jo Fusco, and Jones made up the UNI women’s 4x200m squad. The women ran 1:39.76 on their way to a sixth-place finish, concluding the Panthers’ third day in Des Moines.
The field event squad again opened Saturday for Northern Iowa, starting with the men’s hammer throw. Nathan Wilde and Justin Olson took 13th and 20th for the Panthers, each throwing 56.51 and 53.09, respectively. The women’s high jump saw UNI claim their first and lone Drake Relays championship of the weekend, as Josie Morland cleared 1.78m to capture the flag. Teammate Rylie Todd also had an impressive showing, taking 9th by jumping 1.71m. In the men’s pole vault, freshman Carter Pheifer earned 11th with a 4.72m vault.
Moving to the track races, the UNI women ran a total time of 57.46 to finish fourth in the shuttle hurdle relay. The Panther men also had a group for the relay, but did not start the event. In the distance medley relay, Northern Iowa women Kaylin Lacher, Jones, Kendra Nissen, and Hoins placed 11th in 11:50.84. On the men’s side, Knoche, Bosch, Hanson, and Lauman fought their way to a fifth place finish in the same event. The squad finished in 9:46.51.
Moving to the sprint medley, Grimes, Jones, Maya, and Nissen combined for a time of 3:59.23 and took ninth. In the men’s 4x100m final, Hunter Manock, Drew Bartels, Luke Meyers, Deonte Dean would have placed fourth, but were disqualified due to a faulty exchange.
In the last event of the weekend for the Panthers, Perry, Jo Fusco, Williams, and Jones ran the 4x400m relay for the UNI women. The group placed third in 3:42.89, ending a successful weekend for Northern Iowa at the Blue Oval.
The UNI men’s and women’s track and field teams will compete next at the Musco Twilight on May 3 in Iowa City. Then, the Panthers will travel to Ames for one last regular-season meet at the Cyclone Challenge. With a series of in-state meets in front of and behind them, light travel may aid the Panthers in their quest for a Missouri Valley Conference title, and strong performances at NCAA Regionals.
