DES MOINES, Iowa -- Less than a week until the action starts in Drake Stadium, the Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom announced its lineups for the men's and women's 800 and 1,500 meters.
The fields include nearly a dozen athletes who have won a national championship, five World Championship qualifiers, five Olympians, and a Paralympics gold medalist.
"These races always provide some of the most memorable 'Relays moments' with incredible individual performances that combine speed, strength and strategy," said Blake Boldon, the Franklin P. Johnson Director of the Drake Relays. "I feel that this year's lineup will deliver more of those memories as we've combined established veteran athletes with some of the top new athletes looking to prove themselves on the professional stage."
One of those established athletes is one of the top Chinese 800-meter specialists in ChunYu Wang. Wang finished fifth at the 2021 Olympics and was the first Chinese woman to reach the Olympics finals. Her fifth-place finish with a personal best of 1:57.00 was the best individual showing of any Chinese athlete in a track running event at the 2021 Olympics.
In that same women's 800-meter lineup, one of those athletes who experienced success on the Blue Oval as a collegian, Sinclaire Johnson, is now making waves as a professional. The former NCAA Champion at Oklahoma State, who has a personal best of 1:59.90 in the event, anchored Drake Relays wins in 2019. She then finished sixth in the 1,500 meters at last year's World Championships after claiming the USA Championship in the event.
She'll attempt to hold off last year's Drake Relays runner-up in the event, Mallory Lindaman. As a collegian at Iowa, Lindaman (nee King) had a pair of top-3 finishes at the Drake Relays. The field also features plenty of international talent in three-time Puerto Rican national champion Priscilla Morales and Kenya's Susan Ejore. Ejore helped the University of Oregon to a pair of distance medley relay NCAA titles and was an NCAA qualifier in the mile.
The men's 800 meters features the Drake Relays defending champion and 2021 Olympics finalist, Isaiah Jewett. Jewett is just two years removed from his NCAA title at USC. He is joined by a fresh lineup of recent college standouts, including Drew Piazza, Colin Schultz and Luca Chatham, who have all recorded top-5 finishes at USA Championship events.
A current collegian familiar with the Blue Oval has been added to the field in Drake's Isaac Basten. The NCAA Indoor Championship runner-up in the mile recently shattered the Drake school record in the 1,500 meters and is on his way to becoming one of the most decorated athletes in Drake history.
The women's 1,500 meters includes Japan's Nozomi Tanaka, the five-time Japanese national champion and record holder who finished eighth at the 2021 Olympics. In addition, Sweden's Hanna Hermanson adds more international talent to the field on the heels of her 2022 World Championships semifinal appearance.
Decorated American competitors Shannon Osika and Nikki Hiltz also return to Drake Stadium. Osika finished fourth at the 2021 Olympic Trials and is a five-time USA Championship finalist who finished third at the Drake Relays event in 2021. Hiltz is a former Grand Blue Mile champion who recently won the USA Indoor Championship and was a World Championships qualifier in 2022.
One of the sport's top young talents in Addy Wiley will push those experienced athletes. Wiley is the reigning USA U20 Champion in the event and recently finished fourth at the USA Indoor Championships. The freshman at Huntington University set the national high school record in the 1,600 meters and recently won five NAIA national titles at the 2023 NAIA Indoor National Championships.
The men's 1,500 meters includes veteran British competitor Charlie Grice, a 2016 Olympics finalist and six-time Great Britain champion. With a personal best of 3:30.62, he has competed at both the indoor and outdoor World Championships. A fellow member of the Commonwealth and former Drake star Adam Fogg also joins the field. Fogg recently finished third in the 3,000 meters at the Great Britain National Indoor Championships and, until last week, owned the Drake School record in the 1,500 meters. As a Bulldog, he was a conference champion in the 1,500 meters, mile, 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters.
The entries also include a Paralympics gold medalist in Michael Brannigan. The two-time Paralympian won gold in 2016 and finished fourth in 2021.
Women's 800 Meters
Anna Connor (USA)
- Finished sixth at the 2022 Grand Blue Mile.
- Has a personal best of 2:03.32.
Ella Donaghu (USA)
- Was a two-time NCAA All-American.
- Twice finished top-10 at NCAA Cross Country Championships.
- Has a personal best of 2:04.42.
Susan Ejore (Kenya)
- Won a pair of relay national titles at Oregon and qualified in the mile.
- Has a personal best of 2:02.26.
Sinclaire Johnson (USA)
- Finished sixth at the 2022 World Championships.
- Was the 2022 USA Champion.
- Former NCAA 1,500 meter champion at Oklahoma State.
- Has a personal best of 1:59.90.
Mallory Lindaman (USA)
- Finished second at last year's Drake Relays.
- Was an NCAA All-American at Iowa and had three top-3 finishes at the Drake Relays.
- Has a personal best of 2:03.39.
Priscila Morales (Puerto Rico)
- Is a three-time Puerto Rico national champion.
- Has a personal best of 2:03.09.
Angel Piccirillo (USA)
- Was an NCAA All-American in the 800m, mile, distance medley relay and cross country.
- Has a personal best of 2:01.51.
Emily Richards (USA)
- Finished sixth at last year's Drake Relays and seventh at the Grand Blue Mile.
- Was a 9-time NCAA Division III Champion.
- Has a personal best of 2:00.20.
ChunYu Wang (China)
- Was fifth in the 800 meters at the 2021 Olympics..
- The first Chinese woman to reach the Olympic finals of 800 meters.
- Has a personal best of 1:57.00
- HongJia Wu (China)
- Is the current Asian Indoor Champion in the 800 meters.
- Is a two-time national champion.
- Has a personal best of 2:03.00.
Men's 800 Meters
Isaac Basten (Drake)
- 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships Mile runner-up (4:03.36)
- Set the Drake and Missouri Valley Conference 1,500m record (3:36.99)
- 2022 NCAA Outdoor All-American
Luca Chatham (USA)
- Finished third at the 2022 Drake Relays.
- Was third at the 2023 USA Indoor Championships.
- Has a personal best of 1:46.82.
Isaiah Jewett (USA)
- Is the Drake Relays defending champion.
- Was a 2021 Olympics semifinalist.
- Finished second at the 2021 USA Olympic Trials.
- Has a personal best of 1:43.85.
Austin Lietz (USA)
- Is making his 800 meter debut.
- Was a two-time Big Ten medalist in the 400-meter hurdles and 4x400-meter relay All-American.
DeZhu Liu (China)
- Is the Chinese national champion in the 1,500m
Drew Piazza (USA)
- Finished fifth at the 2019 USA Outdoor Championships
- Was an NCAA All-American.
- Has a personal best of 1:45.69.
Colin Schultz (USA)
- Finished fifth at the 2023 USA Indoor Championships and fourth in 2022.
- Has a personal best of 1:46.82.
Shane Streich (USA)
- Finished seventh at the 2022 Drake Relays.
- Was an NCAA All-American
- Has a personal best of 1:45.85
Men's 1,500 Meters
Colin Abert (USA)
- Was a two-time Big Ten medalist.
- Has a personal best of 3:41.46.
Abe Alvardao (USA)
- Finished third at the 2020 USA Indoor Championships.
Michael Brannigan (USA)
- Was the 2016 Paralympics gold medalist.
- Finished fourth at the 2021 Paralympics.
- Competes in the T20 Paralympics classification.
Adam Fogg (Great Britain)
- Was an NCAA All-American at Drake.
- Won four MVC titles at Drake.
- Finished sixth in the 3,000 meters at the 2023 Great Britain Indoor Championships.
- Owns a personal best of 3:37.96.
Charlie Grice (Great Britain)
- Was a 2016 Olympic finalist.
- Qualified for the 2022 Indoor World Championships and 2016 Outdoor World Championships.
- Is a six-time Great Britain national champion.
- Has a personal best of 3:30.62.
Owen Hoeft (USA)
- Finished fifth in the university division at the 2022 Drake Relays and was third in the 5,000 meters in 20189.
Edwin Kurgat (Kenya)
- Former Iowa State standout who was a 10-time All-American and the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Champion.
- Has a personal best of 3:47.41.
David Ribich (USA)
- Finished fifth at the 2023 USA Indoor Championships in the 1,500 and 3,000 meters.
- Was a two-time NCAA Division II Champion.
- Has a personal best of 3:35.51.
Paul Ryan (USA)
- Finished ninth at the 2022 USA Outdoor Championships
- Was second at the 2022 Grand Blue Mile
- Was an NCAA All-American.
- Has a personal best of 3:35.82
Nate Sloan (USA)
- Won the unseeded 800 meters at last year's Drake Relays.
Nehemia Too (USA)
- Recently set the Iowa State University mile record at 3:57.46.
- Is an NCAA All-American.
- Was a five-time junior college national champion.
- Owns a personal best of 3:39.15.
DongSheng Xie (China)
- Is a national champion in the 800 meters.
Women's 1,500 Meters
Alli Cash (USA)
- Was a five-time NCAA All-American at Oregon.
- Has a personal best of 4:05.90.
Larkin Chapman (USA)
- Native Iowan that was a state champion from Muscatine.
- Has a personal best of 4:20.62.
Katie Follett (USA)
- Was the 2017 Grand Blue Mile champion.
- Finished eighth at the 2018 World Championships in the 3,000 meters.
- Has a personal best of 4:03.81.
Hanna Hermansson (Sweden)
- Was a 2022 World Championship semifinalist.
- Is a nine-time Swedish national champion.
- Has a personal best of 4:05.76.
Nikki Hiltz (USA)
- Is the 2023 USA Indoor Champion in the 1,500 meters.
- Was a 2019 World Championship qualifier.
- Was a 2019 Pan-America Games gold medalist.
- Was a 2019 Grand Blue Mile Champion.
- Has a personal best of 4:01.52.
Ellie Leather (Great Britain)
- Finished eighth at the 2022 Great Britain National Championships.
- Was an NCAA All-American.
- Owns a personal best of 4:11.83.
XiuZhen Ma (China)
Shannon Osika (USA)
- Finished fourth at the 2021 USA Olympic Trials.
- Finished third at the 2021 Drake Relays.
- Was an NCAA All-American.
- Has a personal best of 4:00.73.
Simone Plourde (Canada)
- Recently finished fourth in the 3,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championship.
- Finished sixth at the 2022 Canadian National Championships
- Has a personal best of 4:14.24.
Helen Schlachtenhaufen (USA)
- Finished fifth at the 2021 USA Olympic Trials.
- Was sixth at the 2022 USA Championships.
- Has a personal best of 4:01.09.
Maddie Strandemo (USA)
- Has a personal best of 4:12.68.
- Was a Big Ten Champion and NCAA All-American.
- A 2021 USA Olympic Trials qualifier.
Nozomi Tanaka (Japan)
- Finished eighth at the 2021 Olympics.
- Was a 2022 World Championship qualifier in the 5,000 meters.
- Owns the Japanese national record at 3:59.19. Also holds the national record in the 3,000 meters.
- Is a five-time Japanese national champion.
Erin Teschuk (Canada)
- Was a 2016 Olympian in the steeplechase.
- Was a 2015 World Championship qualifier in the steeplechase.
- Is a two-time Canadian national champion in the steeplechase.
- Owns a 1,500 meter personal best of 4:11.21.
Alex Teubel (USA)
- Finished seventh at the Drake Relays in 2022 and sixth in 2021.
- Was a USA Olympic Trials finalist in the steeplechase.
- Was an Iowa State Champion for Mt. Vernon-Lisbon and an MVC Champion at UNI.
- Has a personal best of 4:06.32.
Addy Wiley (USA)
- Finished fifth at the 2022 World Junior Championships.
- Is the USA U20 National Champion.
- Recently finished fourth at the USA Indoor Championship.
- A freshman at Huntington University, she recently won five NAIA national championships.
- Owns the national high school record in the 1,600 meters at 4:26.16.
- Has a 1,500 meter personal best of 4:11.73.
ShuangShuang Xu (China)
- A 2022 World Championship qualifier.
- A 2021 Olympian in the steeplechase.
- A four-time national champion and Asian Championships silver medalist.
