The field for the 2015 Drake Relays has been set, and a handful of KCII area athletes are among the competitors.
A pair of seniors will represent the Washington Demon boys’ track team in Des Moines this week. Tommy Peterson is one of 24 shot put athletes who have qualified for this year’s Drake Relays. His best throw this season measured 55 feet 7.5 inches, the sixth farthest lob in the state. Joining Peterson at the Drake Relays will be fellow classmate Jacob Hennigan, who has qualified for the yearly event in the 110 meter hurdles. His best performance came at the Denny White Relays on Thursday, crossing the finish line in 14.95 seconds. The Drake Relays takes the top 24 110 meter hurdlers in Iowa for their meet.
Sophomore Levi Duwa is the only athlete from the Mid-Prairie Golden Hawks boys’ track team to make cutoff. Duwa is among the 24 person shot put field after recording a throw of 52 feet 3.25 inches at last month’s River Valley Conference Indoor meet. The throw is the 19th best in the state this season.
A pair of Southeast Iowa Super Conference sprinters rounds out the boys who have qualified for the Drake Relay from the KCII listening area. Columbus junior Mauricio Ramirez and WACO junior Bryce Achen are among the athletes in this year’s 100 meter dash competition. Ramirez made the field with a run of 11.02 seconds, the seventh fastest time in Iowa. Achen’s best time is one-tenth of a second slower than Ramirez, the eighth best run in the state this spring. The top 32 sprinters in the state are invited.
On the girls’ side, the Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk’s 4×100 meter relay team will make an appearance at the Drake Relays. The crew of Shelby Zahradnek, Lexi Duwa, Emily Cayton, and Alex Rath put together their best showing of the year on Thursday in Tipton, completing the event in 52.30 seconds. The time was tied for the 62nd fastest in the state. The top 80 4×100 meter dash teams qualify for the Drake Relays.
A Winfield-Mount Union girls’ track athlete has made the cutoff for the relay’s discuss event. Senior Lou Krieger-Coen’s best toss of the year came in the Bullette Relays on April 7th, hurling the discuss 128 feet 1 inch. The throw was the 13th best in the state. The 24 best throwers in the state are invited to the meet.
Finally, a pair of Pekin track athletes will represent the Panthers at this year’s Drake Relays. Junior Gwynne Wright is the lone athlete from the area to qualify for multiple events at the relays. Wright will run in both the 1500 meter and 3000 meter runs in Des Moines this week. Wright was the final qualifier in the 1500 meter run, recording a time of 4:53.47 in Bloomfield last Tuesday. Her best 3000 meter run time was also recorded last Tuesday in Bloomfield, running the event in 10:32.46, the 12th best time in the state. The Drake Relays takes the top 21 1500 and 3000 meter runners in the state for their meet.
Wright’s classmate, junior Kaysha Dodson, rounds out the area athletes who have qualified for the high jump competition. Dodson has made the relays in the high jump competition after leaping 5 feet 4 inches last Thursday in Pekin’s home track meet. The jump is tied for the fifth best in the state. The Drake Relays has extended their girls’ high jump field to 29 competitors due to a five way tie for the final spot in the relay.
The high school events at the 2015 Drake Relays begins this Thursday afternoon with the boys’ and girls’ field events.