EUGENE, Ore. – Fourteen former Drake Relays champs — among a group of 138 Drake Relays alumni who are competing — advanced out of the qualifying rounds of the United States Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field Thursday.
 
Isaac Basten and Daniel Michalski headlined five champions from the 2022 Drake Relays who posted stellar performances during the opening day session.
 
Finals also were held in three field events with Drake Relays alum Quanesha Burks soaring a wind-aided 23 feet 2 inches to win her first ever outdoor national title in the women's long jump.
 
Burks, who was fifth in the 2022 World Indoor Championships, was fourth in the 2021 and seventh in the 2022 Drake Relays invitational long jump
 
Basten, a junior at Drake, stunned the field with a late kick to post the fastest qualifying time in the first round of the men's 1,500 with a personal best of 3:38.92. His lean at the tape was good enough to clip  Johnny Gregorek by three-one hundredths of a second (3:38.95). 
 
Basten won the Drake Relays university-college 1,500 April 30 during an outdoor campaign in which he also won the Missouri Valley Conference 1,500 title, while placing tenth in the NCAA Championships June 10.  
 
Michalski, who won the 3,000 steeplechase at the Drake Relays April 29, recorded the fastest qualifying time in the first round of the steeplechase in a season best of 8:23.39.

Two-time-Olympian Hillary Bor, a former Iowa State standout, had the third fastest qualifying time in the men's steeplechase in 8:24.42. 
 
Basten will run in the 1,500 finals at 3:52 p.m. Central Time Saturday, while Michalski and Bor will run in the 3,000 steeplechase finals at 4:04 p.m. Central time Saturday.
 
North Carolina A&T junior Randolph Ross, who was named the outstanding men's performer of the 2022 Drake Relays, advanced into the semifinal round of the men's 400 after running 45.66 in the first round.  Ross, who earned a gold medal as a member of Team USA 4x400 relay at the Tokyo Olympics, set a Drake Relays university-college 400 record, while running the anchor leg on the Aggies' 4x100 relay which set another Drake Relays record.
 
Vernon Norwood, who was second in the 400 in the 2017 Drake Relays, posted the third fastest qualifying time in the first round of the 400 in 45.34.

Ten-time national champion Allyson Felix, who ran in the 2006 Drake Relays, posted the fourth fastest qualifying time in the women's 400 in 52.30 to advance into the semifinal round. Felix has won 11 Olympic medals during her career, including seven gold medals.
 
The opening qualifying rounds of the men's and women's 800 featured a combined nine Drake Relays alumni including five Relays champions.
 
2022 World Indoor champ Ajee Wilson, who won the 2015 Drake Relays invitational women's 800, had the fastest women's qualifying time of 2:00.37.  Allie Wilson, who captured the 2022 Drake Relays title, also advanced into the semifinal round with a 2:01.95 clocking.
 
2021 Olympian Isaiah Jewett, who won the invitational 800 in his Drake Relays debut April 30, posted the third fastest qualifying time in the men's 800 at 1:46.62.
 
Former Iowa NCAA champ Erik Sowinski, who was second to Jewett in the 2022 Drake Relays, moved a step closer to advancing toward his 16^thfinal in a USATF Indoor and Outdoor Championship, by running 1:47.23 to advance —eight days after being diagnosed with COVID.
 
Two-time Olympian Clayton Murphy, who is a four-time Drake Relays champ including invitational 800 titles in 2015 and 2016, also advanced in 1:47.49. 
 
Jason Gomez, who ran legs on Iowa State's winning 4x800 and distance medley relays at the 2021 Drake Relays,  joined the trio into the semifinal round after running 1:47.62.
 
Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Kenny Bednarek, who won the men's invitational 200 at the 2019 Drake Relays, advanced into Friday's semifinal round of the men's 100 where he will be joined by former Northern Iowa sprinter Brandon Carnes,who won the 2016 and 2017 Drake Relays university-college 100. They were both timed in 10.10 during the first round Friday.
 
Karissa Schweizer, who ran in both the 5,000 and 10,000 at the Tokyo Olympics, advanced into the finals of the women's 1,500 Saturday after running 4:14.80 in the first round. 

"It's different than what I'm used to, but definitely exciting to challenge myself in a different event, especially working on my speed for that 10K and 5K," said Schweizer, a native of Urbandale, Iowa.
 
Schweizer, who won the 5,000 at the 2019 Drake Relays running for Missouri en route to being named the meet's outstanding performer, also will be in the 5,000 final Sunday.
 
Fellow Olympic teammate Heather MacLean, who ran in the 2019 Drake Relays, had the fastest qualifying rim tin the first round of the women's 1,500 in 4:07.96.
 
Former Drake Relays champions Brittany Brown (2017) and Cambrea Sturgis (2021) both advanced into the semifinal round of the women's 100 that will be run Friday along with the finals.
 
Brown, a former NCAA champ at the University of Iowa and a silver medalist in 200 at the 2019 World Championships, was clocked in 11.06. 
 
Sturgis, who was named the outstanding performer of the 2021 Drake Relays while running for North Carolina A&T was clocked in 11.19.
 
Six Drake Relays alumni also qualified for the semifinal round of the women's 400 hurdles headed by Shamier Little  (fifth in 2022) who had the second fastest qualifying  time of 55.50. Ashley Spencer, who was second at 2021 Drake Relays, had the fourth fastest time of 55.79 followed by Cassandra Tate (2015 Drake Relays champ) who ran 55.89.  Anna Cockrell (3^rdin 2022 Drake Relays) advanced in 56.42, along with collegians Masai Russell (Kentucky) 56.51 and Bianca Stubler (Wisconsin) 56.60.

Friday's Events Include 2 Drake Relays champs Who Are Current World Leaders

Finals will be held in five events Friday— men's long jump, men's shot put, women's pole vault,  women's high jump and women's discus.

World record holder and two-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser, who is a four-time defending Drake Relays champ, owns the best throw in the world this year in the men's shot put at 75-6.25.

Five-time Drake Relays champ Sandi Morris is the world leader in the women's pole vault at 15-9.25.
 
CNBC will televise coverage of the USA Outdoor Championships Friday from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. central time.