By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The 113th Drake Relays presented by Xtream and Powered by Mediacom are scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 26-29 at Jim Duncan Track and Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.

WATCH THE 113TH DRAKE RELAYS PRESENTED BY XTREAM LIVE APRIL 27-29 ON USATF.TV

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

One mile, multiple historical connections

The addition of an elite boys high school mile to Friday’s schedule at “America’s Athletic Classic” was organized in an attempt to produce a sub-4 performance at Jim Duncan Track.

But the history of the mile at Drake Relays, and among Iowa high school graduates, provides additional layers to what could be one of the most memorable moments in meet history.

Alan Webb, the national high school record holder in the mile with his 3:53.43 performance in 2001, also set the Drake Relays mile record of 3:51.71 in 2007.

Blake Boldon, the Franklin P. Johnson Director of the Drake Relays, is one of five former Iowa prep athletes to have achieved a sub-4 mile in his track career, joining Jerome Howe, Randy Wilson, Tyler Mulder and Biya Simbassa. No Iowa high school competitor has produced a sub-4 race during his prep career.

Jackson Heidesch, a senior at Dowling Catholic High and the New Balance Nationals Indoor mile champion and last year’s winner at the HOKA Festival of Miles in St. Louis, enters the race as the fastest high school miler in Iowa history with his 4:02.25 performance March 12 at the TRACK at New Balance in Boston.

But Heidesch is only the second-fastest athlete in the field, as Simeon Birnbaum of Rapid City Stevens High ran 3:59.51 last year at the Brooks PR Invitational in Seattle to become one of only three juniors in U.S. prep history to eclipse the barrier, joining peer Connor Burns of Southern Boone County in Missouri, along with Jim Ryun, who achieved five sub-4 efforts during his prep career.

Clay Shively of Wichita Trinity High leads a trio of Kansas athletes in the field, along with Shawnee Mission East teammates Wyatt Haughton and Caden Peters.

Andrew Hauser of Rock Bridge and Hobbs Campbell from Joplin are representing Missouri, with Noah Breker from Robbinsdale Armstrong in Minnesota and Daniel Watcke of Hinsdale Central in Illinois also scheduled to compete.

Heidesch will be joined by fellow Iowa athletes Ford Washburn from Iowa City, along with Carson Lane of Johnston, all looking to add their names to the list of 17 prep athletes to achieve a sub-4 performance.

In pursuit of the distance double

Before Paityn Noe of Ballard Community High competes Friday in the elite mile, she will have an opportunity to pursue a pair of records Thursday in the 3,000 meters.

Stephanie Jenks of Linn-Mar produced both the Drake Relays record and the Iowa high school all-time mark during her multiple trips in 2014 to Jim Duncan Track.

Jenks ran 9:26.87 to achieve the best performance in meet history, then lowered her Iowa prep record to 9:24.67 at the state championship less than a month later.

Noe, the defending Drake Relays 3,000 champion at 9:53.31, is the third-fastest athlete in Iowa high school history with her 9:34.08 effort March 6 at the Dickinson Relays. Addison Dorenkamp of West Des Moines Valley elevated to No. 5 all-time by running 9:38.21 in the same race.

Adrienne Buettner-Cable of Des Moines Roosevelt, who boasts a personal-best 9:55.57, is also entered.

Katie Flood of Dowling Catholic ran 9:27.25 in 2010, joining Jenks as the only Iowa prep athletes to eclipse the 9:30 barrier.

Buettner-Cable, Dorenkamp and Noe are also scheduled to race Friday in the elite girls high school mile, with fellow Iowa prep athletes Clare Kelly of Van Meter, Marley Turk of Ames and Lydia Sommer of Pleasant Valley also expected to compete.

Libby Castelli and Ruth Pardy, teammates at Sioux Falls O’Gorman in South Dakota, are also part of the field, in addition to Josie Baker from Kirkwood High in Missouri and Jordyn Arens of Crofton High in Nebraska.

Jenks also boasts the Iowa state mile record of 4:42.16 from the 2015 Prefontaine Classic in Oregon. Noe ran 4:54.29 last year at the HOKA Festival of Miles in St. Louis.

Sama looks to rule the runway again

Southeast Polk senior Abu Sama knows what it takes to produce a 24-foot long jump at Drake Stadium, winning the Class 4A state championship last year with a 24-2.75 (7.38m) performance.

The Drake Relays has never showcased a 24-foot effort, with Chris Walker of Davenport Central still boasting the 1984 meet record of 23-11.75 (7.31m).

Sama, the state record holder at 24-10 (7.57m) from last season’s Valley Coed Relays, boasts a top mark this year of 23-11.75 from March 7 at the Dickinson Relays. He won the Drake Relays competition last season with a 23-11 (7.29m) effort.

Sama is attempting to become the first back-to-back champion at the Drake Relays since Chandler Diercks of Clear Lake High in 2014-15.

Jay Gatto of Anamosa, Anthony Glay of Dallas Center-Grimes and T.J. Jackson of Linn-Mar are the only other athletes in the field Friday with 23-foot performances.

Waukee Northwest still among the best

Despite graduating Drake Relays champions Mackenzie Carney, Natalie Harris, Camryn Weers, Faith Millsap and Morgan Engels, Waukee Northwest is still among the leading contenders in the girls 4x200-meter, 4x400-meter and 4x100-meter shuttle hurdles relays.

Waukee Northwest is the No. 2 seed in the 4x200, with Katie Stahl, Aunya Van Zetten, Ke’Ayla Madison and Avery Winter clocking 1:42.48 on April 8 at the Dr. Brooks Relays at Valley High.

Dowling Catholic’s Ashley Hall, Lauren McCoy, Annie Smith and Olivia Kramer have run 1:42.25 this season.

Dubuque Wahlert Catholic was the last girls program to repeat in the 4x200 in 2017-18.

Dowling Catholic and Waukee Northwest have the top two entry marks in the 4x100 shuttle hurdles relay following their showdown last year, with the Wolves rallying for a 1:01.86 to 1:02.67 victory.

Waukee was the last girls team to secure back-to-back titles in 2012-13, although the entire Waukee Northwest lineup that prevailed last season previously attended Waukee in 2021, before the new school opened in the district.

Carney won the 4x100 shuttle hurdles title at Drake Relays with Ames High in 2019, Waukee in 2021 and Waukee Northwest last season.

Waukee Northwest could also be a factor in the 4x400, with Anna Sheriff, Kiana Carnes, Madison and Winter clocking a state-leading 3:57.76.

Solon won the 4x400 title last year in 3:56.24, with Waukee Northwest finishing fourth in 4:01.58.

Dowling Catholic ready for relay duel

One of the most anticipated showdowns of the meet in Saturday’s expected matchup involving Dowling Catholic and Iowa City High in the boys 4x800-meter relay.

Iowa City hasn’t won the 4x800 crown at Drake Relays since 2001, but that pales in comparison to the drought Dowling Catholic has endured, still seeking its first championship in the event after several runner-up finishes, including last year behind Sioux City North by a 7:48.21 to 7:50.85 margin.

Jackson Heidesch and Matthew Bootman are returning athletes from Dowling Catholic’s lineup last year.

Ford Washburn returns for Iowa City, which has run 7:47.84 this season, just outside the top 10 performances in state history.

Dowling Catholic has clocked 7:54.47, still pursuing its 1980 program record of 7:47.57.

Marshalltown set the Drake Relays all-time mark in 1985 by running 7:45.63.

Ames boasts the Iowa high school record of 7:41.43 from the 4A state final in 2015.

Frandsen ready for big spotlight

Ali Frandsen, a senior at Ames High, has patiently waited for her opportunity to excel at Jim Duncan Track, not only trying to navigate the barriers in her races, but also remain competitive against one of the deepest groups of female hurdlers in Iowa prep history.

With the Waukee Northwest pair of Mackenzie Carney and Natalie Harris having graduated, along with Ellie Rickertsen from Northeast Goose Lake and Darci Wiseman of Winterset, Frandsen has established herself as the top contender in both the 100- and 400-meter hurdles entering the Drake Relays.

Frandsen has run 14.37 in the 100 hurdles, in addition to 1:02.46 in the 400 hurdles, looking to sweep both events like Carney did for Waukee High in 2021 and Waukee Northwest last season.

Frandsen finished fourth in the 400 hurdles and sixth in the 100 hurdles at the Drake Relays last year.

Olivia Kramer of Dowling Catholic and Emma Havighurst of West Des Moines Valley have also run under 15 seconds this season in the 100 hurdles. Eden Moore of Van Meter is also a top contender in the 400 hurdles.

Such great heights

There hasn’t been a 7-foot high jump clearance by an Iowa prep athlete since 2016.

The last time the performance occurred at the Drake Relays was 2015.

But T.J. Jackson of Linn-Mar High and Matt Schaeckenbach of Iowa City High have both surpassed 6-10 this season and are looking to reach new levels Thursday night at Drake Stadium.

Schaeckenbach finished eighth at Drake Relays last season, with Jackson looking to rebound following a 15th-place effort.

Jackson has cleared 6-10.50 (2.10m), with Jackson achieving a 6-10.25 (2.09m) performance this spring.

Jacob Kieler of Cedar Falls, runner-up last year at Drake Relays with a 6-9 (2.05m) effort, is also scheduled to compete.

Jeff Giannettino of West Burlington/Notre Dame produced back-to-back 7-foot clearances at Drake Relays to win in 2014-15.

Brian Tietjens from North Central of Manly has held the Drake Relays record of 7-3 (2.21m) since 1981, the same year he also set the all-time Iowa prep mark of 7-3.50 (2.22m).

Seeing double

Cedar Rapids Kennedy junior twin sisters Sidney Swartzendruber and Addison Swartzendruber are the top two seeds in the 400 meters, looking to challenge the meet record of 56.15 achieved last year by Gabby Cortez of Cedar Rapids Prairie.

Sidney Swartzendruber placed 11th last season and Addison Swartzendruber was 15th at Drake Relays, but both athletes have improved significantly during the past year.

Jaidyn Sellers, a junior at Panorama, has the potential to capture both the 100 and 400 championships. Sellers has the top entry mark in the 100 at 12.10, in addition to running 57.19 in the 400.

Sidney Swartzendruber is also part of a deep 800 field, with six athletes running under 2:15.

Keelee Leitzen, a junior at Dubuque Hempstead, is also scheduled to compete in the 800, as well as being the top seed in the 1,500 at 4:41.36.

Dubuque Hempstead also boasts the fastest entry mark in the 4x800 relay, looking to follow Southeast Polk in 2019 and 2021 as back-to-back champions after clocking 9:22.28 last season.

Southeast Polk achieved the 4x800 meet record of 9:10.38 in 2019.

Thompson gets another turn

Miles Thompson, a senior at Cedar Rapids Washington, has been highly motivated since being edged by Tyrese Miller of Ankeny last in the 100-meter final at last year’s meet by a 10.88 to 10.95 margin.

Miller swept both the 100 and 400 last season at Drake Relays, but Thompson is focused on just the showcase sprint event Friday, looking to challenge the wind-legal meet record of 10.61 set in 2012 by James Harrington of Cedar Falls, if not the all-conditions best mark of 10.53 achieved in 2017 by Isaiah Trousil of West Burlington/Notre Dame.

Thompson clocked 10.56 at Davenport Central to secure the top seed entering the Drake Relays. His 10.53 performance last year is equal to the second-fastest fully automatic time in Iowa prep history.

Cedar Rapids Washington has never produced a boys 100 champion at Drake Relays.

Lisbon junior Baylor Speidel and West Burlington/Notre Dame senior Jack Riley are also top contenders in the 100.

Olson looks to raise the bar again

Maddie Olson, a senior at Sheldon High, produced one of the most efficient high jump competitions in the past decade at Drake Relays, clearing her first five heights without a miss last year in order to prevail against Taylor Jochum of Bishop Heelan on fewer attempts after both athletes cleared 5-7 (1.70m).

Olson will need to be equally efficient again Friday to repeat as champion, with a strong field of challengers, including Waukee senior Josie Moreland, along with New Hampton senior Carlee Rochford and Charles City junior Keely Collins.

Moreland is the state leader this season at 5-8 (1.72m), with Collins, Olson and Rochford all having cleared 5-7.

Olson is looking to follow Miracle Ailes of Keokuk, who triumphed in 2019 and 2021, as a winner of multiple Drake Relays high jump titles.

Isabelle Noring of Carlisle also has the potential to repeat Thursday in the girls long jump, squaring off against Ankeny Centennial sophomore standout Jaeden Pratt, in addition to 2021 champion Shay Sinnard of Carroll.