By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The 112th Drake Relays presented by Xtream and Powered by Mediacom and Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield are scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 27-30 at Jim Duncan Track and Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.

WATCH 112TH DRAKE RELAYS PRESENTED BY XTREAM POWERED BY MEDIACOM APRIL 28-30

Here are 10 elite invitational storylines involving professional athletes to keep an eye on at one of the most prestigious meets in the country:

Erzen poised to tackle another tough triple

Ainsley Erzen, an Arkansas-bound senior at Carlisle High and the Iowa state record holder in the 800 meters at 2:06.52, took on one of the toughest schedules in meet history last year when prep competition was limited to one day at Drake Relays as a result of COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions.

Erzen became the first athlete to win both the 400 and 800 in the same year at Drake, but the challenge of also racing the 1,500 resulted in a 20th-place finish for the reigning Nike Outdoor Nationals 800 champion.

The 400 and 800 are both scheduled for Friday, with Erzen among the leading contenders to win both events again, but the potential for her to achieve the remarkable trifecta increased significantly with the 1,500 final Saturday.

Stephanie Jenks of Linn-Mar is the last prep female athlete to win three individual events in the same year at Drake Relays, sweeping the 800, 1,500 and 3,000 in 2014 and 2015.

Shelby Houlihan of Sioux City East also achieved the distance triple in 2011.

Erzen, who prevailed in the 400 in a meet-record 56.28 last season, will have to knock off the same challengers again this year, with the next five finishers from the 2021 race – Audrey Biermann of Epworth Western Dubuque, Claire Farrell of Norwalk, Mitzi Evans of Mid-Prairie, Gabby Cortez of Cedar Rapids Prairie and Jaidyn Sellers of Panorama – all in her section again.

Erzen ran 2:13.73 to triumph in the 800 last year and could face a pair of new contenders in freshmen Ani Wedemeyer of City High in Iowa City and Alli Macke of Ankeny. Emma Bock, a senior at Solon, is returning following a third-place finish last season.

The 1,500 field features great depth with Danielle Hostetler of Mid-Prairie, Ashlyn Keeney of Iowa City Liberty, Addison Dorenkamp of West Des Moines Valley and Paityn Noe of Ballard Community, making Erzen’s bid to potentially win all three events even more challenging.

Erzen is also scheduled to compete Friday in the 800-meter sprint medley relay, her first race of the meet.

Ready to launch

Indianola senior Walker Whalen, a three-sport standout in football, wrestling and track and field, is expected to get the field events off to a strong start Thursday with his pursuit to eclipse the meet record in the discus throw.

Whalen, an Iowa signee, ranks No. 4 in state history in the discus at 202-10 (61.82m). He has improved more than 25 feet already this year after concluding his junior season at 177-2 (54.00m).

Whalen is motivated to not only improve on a fifth-place finish from last year’s event with a 167-1 (50.92m) effort, but challenge the all-time Drake Relays high school mark of 199-1 (60.68m) achieved in 2004 by Chase Madison of Newton.

Tristan Wirfs of Mount Vernon, now an offensive tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was the last prep athlete to even surpass 190 feet at the event, winning in 2017 with a 190-1 (57.93m) performance.

Scott Crowell of Mason City still holds the Iowa state record of 207-8 (63.29m) from 1978.

McKade Jelinek of Linn-Mar finished second last year at 178-9 (54.48m) and he is the only athlete in the competition within 20 feet this season of Whalen at 183-8 (55.98m).

Carney motivated to carry hurdle legacy to new school

Mackenzie Carney became the first junior in meet history to not only win the 100-meter hurdles, 400-meter hurdles and 4x100-meter shuttle hurdle relay in the same meet, but she achieved it all in one day for Waukee High to be selected as the top prep female athlete at the event, also a first for a junior girl at Drake Relays.

Carney, now an Iowa State-bound senior at Waukee Northwest High, has an opportunity to make additional history Friday and Saturday at Drake Stadium.

Carney can become the only competitor in meet history to sweep all three events twice in her career, in addition to joining Sara Boisen of West Des Moines Valley as the only athletes to secure multiple individual titles in both the 100 hurdles and 400 hurdles.

Carney would become the first female athlete to repeat in the 100 hurdles since Urbandale’s Mary Young in 2013-14 and the first competitor to secure back-to-back victories in the 400 hurdles since Payton Wensel of Linn-Mar in 2017-18.

Carney also has the potential to boast one of the most unique achievements in meet history. With another victory in the 4x100 shuttle hurdle relay, Carney would win the event with a third different school, prevailing in 2019 as a freshman with Ames High, followed by last year with Waukee.

Natalie Harris, Camryn Weers and Carney all contributed to Waukee’s victory in the shuttle hurdles last year and are scheduled to run Saturday with Faith Millsap in Waukee Northwest’s bid for a first title.

Carney and Harris also took the top two spots in the 100 hurdles last year.

Harris, an Iowa signee, will try to win a second career title Friday in the 4x200, following a victory with Waukee as a freshman in 2019. Avery Winter, Kiana Carnes and Carney are scheduled to join Harris in the Waukee Northwest lineup.

Heidesch driven to achieve distance history

Jackson Heidesch, a junior at Dowling Catholic, has already secured Iowa 4A state titles in the 3,200 meters and cross country, the latter victory helping the Maroons edge rival Sioux City North by a six-point margin in October to produce a ninth boys team crown in the past 15 years.

Heidesch is now looking to enjoy a memorable experience at Drake Relays, with four potential opportunities to earn his first career championship flag at Jim Duncan Track.

Heidesch headlines the 3,200 meters Thursday during the distance carnival, following his program-record 9:05.80 performance April 16 at Drake Stadium for the Jim Duncan Invitational, which elevated him to the No. 8 all-time Iowa high school performer.

Albert Meier of Boone achieved the 3,200 meet record in 2014 by clocking 8:58.46, a mark Heidesch is targeting in his pursuit of becoming just the fifth distance runner in Iowa prep history to eclipse the 9-minute barrier, joining Thomas Pollard of Gilbert, Nate Mueller of Adel-DeSoto-Minburn and former Boone teammates Chandler Austin and Meier.

Heidesch could also challenge the 2014 meet record in the 1,600 of 4:10.76 by Josh Evans of Linn-Mar, but he enters the meet seeded behind Ford Washburn of City High in Iowa City, along with Aidan Ramsey of Dallas Center-Grimes.

Heidesch boasts the No. 4 entry mark in the 800 at 1:56.85, with Gabe Nash of Sioux City North leading all qualifiers at 1:54.31. The meet record is 1:51.76 achieved by former Dowling Catholic standout Ryan Schweizer in 2014.

Dowling Catholic is also the top seed in the 4x800 relay Saturday, with Sam Leto, Will Ryan, Matthew Bootman and Heidesch clocking 7:55.16 on April 9 at the Valley Coed Relays.

The boys 4x800 meet record is the oldest of all the high school relay marks at the event, with the 7:45.63 performance achieved by Marshalltown in 1985 still standing.

Brumbaugh bidding for shot put supremacy again

Along with showcasing the best male thrower in the state Thursday in the discus, the schedule also includes the top female in the ring as well, with Mount Pleasant senior Jadan Brumbaugh pursuing back-to-back Drake Relays shot put championships following a 43-3 (13.18m) performance last year.

Brumbaugh, an Iowa State signee who enters this year’s meet with a mark of 46-9.75 (14.26m), is looking to become the seventh female athlete in meet history to repeat in the shot put. Jamie Kofron of Tipton, now competing at Iowa, achieved back-to-back victories in 2018-19.

Erika Hammond of Clinton was the last female competitor to surpass 47 feet at Drake Relays in 2016.

Danielle Frere of Muscatine was the last shot put winner to produce a mark beyond 48 feet in 2008.

Paulette Mitchell of Council Bluffs Lincoln remains the meet record holder with her 50-4.75 (15.36m) performance from 1992, the first year the event was included in the Drake Relays schedule.

Eight other competitors enter the meet with marks beyond 40 feet this spring. Faith DeRonde of Oskaloosa took third last year at 40-1.50 (12.23m), as only three athletes achieved the feat last season.

Sama looks to shine on runway and in relays

Southeast Polk won the boys 4x100 and 4x200 relays last year at Drake Relays, and their bid to repeat received a boost from the presence of Abu Sama, a junior defensive back/running back who also set the state long jump record April 9 at the Valley Coed Relays with a leap of 24-10 (7.56m).

Sama surpassed the 1984 all-time Iowa prep mark of 24-9.50 (7.55m) produced by Chris Walker of Davenport Central at the Golden West Invitational in California. 

Sama prevailed against Iowa State-bound Kole Becker of Lisbon, who elevated to No. 3 in Iowa prep history at 24-5.25 (7.45m) and they will square off again Thursday.

Sama, also entered in the 100 for Southeast Polk, is scheduled to team with Titus Christiansen and Cole Filloon in both the 4x100 and 4x200. Kyle Sisler is expected to compete Saturday for the Rams in the 4x100 and Joe Zelenovich is scheduled to participate Friday in the 4x200.

Christiansen is the only returning member of both championship relays last year for Southeast Polk.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson set meet records in both the 4x100 and 4x200 in 2018, running 42.02 and 1:27.14.

Duax seeks memorable double

Sioux City West senior Holly Duax, an Iowa signee, is not only pursuing a repeat in the 100-meter dash, but also looking to accomplish an impressive double Friday as well.

Duax is attempting to become only the second prep female competitor in meet history to win both the 100 and long jump in the same year, with Laura Aschoff of Ankeny the only previous athlete to achieve the feat in 1996.

Aschoff ran 12.29 in the 100 and had an effort of 18-1.25 (5.51m) in the long jump.

Duax ran 12.34 into a headwind last year to secure the 100 crown, but did compete in the long jump, running on a pair of relays for Sioux City West instead.

Duax has already run 11.81 this season, helping her arrive at Drake Stadium with the potential to eclipse the wind-legal 100 meet record of 11.82 produced by Kerris Roberts of Waterloo East in both 2017 and 2019.

Roberts ran a wind-aided 11.74 in 2019 for the all-conditions best mark in meet history.

Duax is also the top qualifier in the long jump at 19-1.50 (5.82m), well within striking distance of the 2004 meet record of 19-3.75 (5.89m) established in 2004 by LaNeisha Waller of Cedar Rapids Washington.

There have only been three female competitors in meet history to produce a 19-foot long jump, including Darby Thomas of Council Bluffs Lincoln in 2019, Jalynn Roberts-Lewis of Des Moines Roosevelt in 2014 and Waller.

Duax is also entered in the 4x100 and 4x200 for Sioux City West. The Wolverines are seeded third overall in the 4x100 at 49.37, with Ames the top qualifier at 48.91.

An elevated competition

Following a year when the boys high jump was won by Ian Collins of Charles City with a 6-7 (2.00m) clearance – halting a streak of six consecutive seasons when the winner cleared at least 6-9 (2.05m) – 10 athletes enter Friday’s competition with at least that mark this year, including six competitors who have achieved 6-8 (2.03m) performances this spring.

Kade Benjamin of New London, Kaleb Scott of Southeast Valley and Derek Weisskopf of Williamsburg have all cleared 6-9 this season, with Jack Noble of North Polk at 6-8.25 (2.03m) and Sam Skarich of North Scott and Clarinda’s Isaac Jones both qualified with 6-8 clearances.

Collins is also in the field, having cleared 6-6 (1.98m) so far this year.

Jeff Giannettino of West Burlington was the last prep male competitor to achieve a 7-foot clearance at Drake Relays, winning in 2015 with a 7-1 (2.15m) effort.

Brian Tietjens of North Central-Manly established the meet record with a 7-3 (2.20m) clearance in 1981.

Hostetler hopes her time has arrived

Anna Hostetler and Marie Hostetler are both Drake Relays winners for Mid-Prairie High, along with capturing individual state titles and ranking among the elite all-time competitors in Iowa prep history in both the 1,500 and 3,000 meters.

Sophomore Danielle Hostetler might be adding her name to the family legacy of success at Drake Stadium, as she is the top seed Saturday in the 1,500 at 4:41.71, her only event of the meet.

Anna Hostetler won the 3,000 at Drake Relays in 2017 and Marie Hostetler triumphed in the 1,500 in 2019.

Danielle Hostetler finished seventh in the 3,000 in 10:15.96 and ninth in the 1,500 in 4:52.56 in her Drake Relays debut last season.

Ashlyn Keeney of Iowa City Liberty, an Iowa State signee, is the defending 1,500 champion after running 4:39.24 last year. Keeney also won the 3,000 as a freshman in 2019.

Ainsley Erzen of Carlisle, Addison Dorenkamp of West Des Moines Valley and Paityn Noe of Ballard Community have also run under 4:45 this season in the 1,500. Noe is the top seed Thursday in the 3,000 at 9:46.31.

Becker built for big matchups

Kole Becker of Lisbon, an Iowa State commit, is one of the few athletes in the meet entered in four individual events, with the potential to achieve a rare sweep in the 110-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles.

Becker, a four-event winner last year at the Class 1A state final, opens his schedule Thursday in the long jump in a showdown of two of the top three competitors in state history against junior Abu Sama of Southeast Polk. Sama and Becker are the only athletes in the field with marks beyond 24 feet.

Sama holds the state record at 24-10 (7.56m) and Becker is No. 3 all-time at 24-5.25 (7.45m).

Becker has the 110 hurdles early Friday, with a potential matchup looming against Jack Latham of Spirit Lake. Becker is the No. 2 qualifier at 14.26 seconds, with Latham clocking 13.96, giving both athletes an opportunity to eclipse the 2017 meet record of 14.01 set by Joah Banks of Cedar Rapids Prairie.

Becker is also expected to race the 400 meters Friday, looking to produce a sub-50 performance and challenge state leader Qai Hussey of Spirit Lake (48.08).

The 400 hurdles final is scheduled for Saturday, with Becker the top qualifier at 53.69.

Becker finished sixth last year in the long jump and seventh in the 400 hurdles, but is one of the most improved athletes in the state this season.

The last prep male competitor to sweep the 110 hurdles and 400 hurdles in the same year was Kyle Dunn of Linn-Mar in 2010. Four individuals have achieved the double in meet history, including Nick Kuchel of Kingsley-Pierson in 2006, Dustin Avey of Ames in 1996 and Darwin Vande Hoef of Rock Valley in 1989.

Avey still holds the 400 hurdles meet record at 51.94 from 1995.