What to Watch on Thursday at the Drake Relays
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
The best prep track and field athletes in the state converge on Drake Stadium in Des Moines this weekend for the 110th edition of the Drake Relays.
High school action gets underway on Thursday and continues through Saturday at the famed blue oval inside Drake Stadium with 34 total titles up for grabs.
Once again the Your Prep Sports area will be well represented throughout the week with area athletes competing in 33 of 34 events over the three-day prep portion of the event.
With so much going on involving area athletes Your Prep Sports will provide a daily list of some of the top storylines to watch for each of the three days of the prep action.
Greiner Gets Final Shot at Drake Two-Mile
Kolby Greiner has had a prep career filled with ups and downs.
The West High experienced has seen both ends of the spectrum in back-to-back performances in the Drake Relays’ 3,200.
Greiner made his Drake debut with a sixth-place finish as a sophomore in 9:18.75. Last season he dropped to 22nd in a time nearly a minute slower than his sophomore Drake time.
In his final Drake Relays Greiner hopes to end with a bang.
Greiner has been impressive so far in his senior season and enters with the top 3,200 time in the season at 9:32.45, nearly a second faster than Dubuque Hempstead senior David Holesinger.
Keeney Makes Drake Debut
Anyone that follows distance running in Iowa knows about Liberty High freshman phenom Ashlyn Keeney.
Already among the top distance runners in the state Keeney will make her much-anticipated Drake Stadium debut on Thursday in the 3,000.
Keeney has already put together an eye-popping freshman season posting the top time in the state in the 800, 1,500 and 3,000.
In her first Drake Relays race Keeney will attempt to start her Relays title count.
Keeney enters with the top time at 10:06.24 which is more than eight seconds faster than Mid-Prairie junior Marie Hostetler who is the top Drake Relays returner in the 3,000 from last season after placing third.
Shot Put Showdown
The boys shot put at the Drake Relays has brought out some big-time performances over the past several seasons.
Mount Vernon’s Tristan Wirfs unloaded a toss of 66-3 ½ to win the 2017 title and Kingsley-Pierson/Woodburry Central senior Nick Phelps won with a mark of 65-3 ½ last season.
The top two returning finishers from last season are among a long list of athletes primed to put on another shot put show on Thursday.
West High senior Landon Green was seventh last season just 1 ¼ inch behind New Hampton’s Noah Fenske who placed sixth at Drake a year ago.
Green and Fenske are the top returning Drake Relays finishers and are two of the favorites to challenge for the title this season.
The defending 4A champion Green has the fourth best throw in the state this season at 56-7 ½ while Fenske has the top mark this spring at 60-7.
Pella senior Nick DeJong is the only other athlete to go over 60 feet this season at 60-5.
Regina senior Luke Stein enters 15th while Solon senior Rocky Lensing has the 22nd best mark this year.
Youth Movement
Keeney is the headliner when it comes to young area talent making Drake Relays debuts this week but there are plenty of first-time qualifiers to watch over the next three days.
Solon freshman Makinley Levin will make her Drake Relays debut in the long jump on Thursday and will be a major contributor on the Spartans’ talented sprint relay teams throughout the weekend.
West High sophomore four-sport standout Marcus Morgan will make his first appearance at Drake Stadium on Thursday in the high jump.
In his first season of varsity track Morgan has already cleared 6-3 ¼.
Schrock, Little in Crowded Girls Discus Field
The field events at the Drake Relays are always capable of creating excitement and the girls discus field has that type of feel.
Defending 3A state champion Ainsley Schrock of Clear Creek Amana and West High junior Alexie Little are both in the Drake Relays field that features five of the top seven finishers from last season.
Tipton senior Jamie Kofron returns to defend her Drake Relays title and enters with the second-best throw in the state this season at 144-5.
South Hardin senior Brylie Zieneiss was 14th a year ago but enters with the top toss at 147-7.
Schrock was 16th at the Drake Relays last season and has the 14th best throw in the state this spring at 128-8.
Little enters with the 19th best toss in Iowa this year at 125-0.
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