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Early Blue Standard Achievers, New Elite High School Events Announced

49 high school performances have already earned a spot in the Drake Relays Presented by Xtream Powered by Mediacom

DES MOINES, Iowa -- As the track and field calendar transitions to the outdoor season, the Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom has announced the addition of two new elite high school events and unveiled an early list of athletes who have met the Blue Standard.
 
To create additional opportunities to compete at historic Drake Stadium and satisfy fans' appetite to witness the best the sport has to offer, the Drake Relays continually looks for opportunities to showcase the sport of track and field with new and unique events. One of those opportunities this year is creating an elite 1-mile event for high school competitors that will feature Iowa's best lining up against competitors from neighboring states and Kansas for the first time on the Blue Oval. 
 
"Since Olympic gold medalist Wilma Rudolph raced against Iowa high school girls in 1961, the Drake Relays has continually sought opportunities to showcase the tremendous track and field talent that Iowa produces on an annual basis," said Blake Boldon, the Franklin P. Johnson Director of the Drake Relays. "Historically speaking, Iowa has produced some of the very best middle distance competitors in the world and we're excited to offer them the rare opportunity to showcase their talent against the best competitors in the Midwest in the mile."
 
The boys and girls 1-mile events are expected to feature 12 athletes in each race and will be the only high school event to include athletes from outside the state of Iowa. The events are slated for Friday Night at the Relays and will be a rare opportunity to cheer on athletes as they compete in an iconic race.
 
"The mile and the pursuit of a sub 4-minute mile have long captivated both the most dedicated track and field fans and the public," Boldon added. "It continues to inspire athletes today and is a relatable athletic feat that we're excited to make a possibility on the Blue Oval for high school athletes."
 
The event will also open up entries for more Iowans in other distance events, as those selected for the invitational mile will not be eligible to compete in the boys' 1,600 meters or girls' 1,500 meters. Athletes competing in the mile will also be limited to competing in four events, as all Iowa high school athletes are. Out of state competitors will not be eligible to compete in any other Drake Relays events.
 
Many Iowa preps have already laid claim to their own opportunities to compete at the Blue Oval next month by achieving a Blue Standard. After just one week of the Iowa high school track and field season, athletes across the state have recorded nearly 50 Blue Standard performances to punch their tickets to the 2023 Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom.
 
"Congratulations to all the Iowa high school athletes who have made the most of their early season competitions to secure their spot at the Drake Relays," Boldon said. "To have nearly 50 Blue Standard performances in the first week of the season is a testament to all the hard work and dedication these athletes and their coaches have poured into their training. It's also a sign that we're going to see some incredible performances and history made at Drake Relays this year."
 
This year's current Blue Standard achievers include 21 girls and 28 boys. The boys' shot put and girls' 3,000 meters have been particularly competitive events in the first week of the season, with eight boys meeting or exceeding the Blue Standard of 54' in the shot put and six girls running faster than the Blue Standard of 10:20.00 in the 3,000 meters. 
 
Iowa high school athletes who record a Blue Standard in the weeks ahead are encouraged to share their special achievement on social media mentioning @DrakeRelays using the hashtags #MYDRAKERELAYS and #BLUEOVALBOUND.
 
The predetermined Blue Standard qualification standards are based on entries to GoBound.com/IA and do not change the entry process or field sizes for high school events. Last year, a total of 373 performances met the Blue Standard, including 210 girls' entries and 163 boys. Athletes have until April 20 to automatically qualify for this year's Drake Relays presented by Xtream.
 
The Blue Standards were set by the Drake Relays committee based on historical data from the top 25 percent of accepted entries from past Drake Relays. For teams and athletes that do not attain a Blue Standard, the fields will be filled through the same protocol used in previous years and outlined in the Iowa High School Entry Information Packet. The Drake Relays committee and everyone associated with the Drake Relays congratulates the following athletes that have already punched their ticket to the Blue Oval.
 
Girls Blue Standard Qualifiers
Event Name  Time or Distance Blue Standard Meet
1500 Addi Dorenkamp, WDM Valley 4:41.44 4:46.00 IATC
3,000 Adrienne Buettner-Cable, DM Roosevelt 9:55.57 10:20.00 IATC
3,000 Lydia Sommer, Pleasant Valley 10:14.03 10:20.00 IATC
3,000 Geneva Timmerman, ADM 10:15.31 10:20.00 IATC
3,000 Marley Turk, Ames 10:19.42 10:20.00 IATC
3,000 Paityn Noe, Ballard 9:34.08 10:20.00 UNI
3,000 Addi Dorenkamp, WDM Valley 9:38.21 10:20.00 UNI
4x1 Ames 49.40 51.00 IATC
4x1 SC East 50.02 51.00 IATC
4x1 Waukee NW 50.14 51.00 IATC
4X1 Dowling Catholic 50.20 51.00 IATC
4x1 ADM 50.59 51.00 IATC
4x4 Ames 4:00.45 4:06.00 IATC
4x4 Waukee NW 4:03.14 4:06.00 IATC
4x800 WDM Valley 9:39.68 9:40.00 IATC
800 Medley Ames 1:49.50 1:50.00 IATC
HJ Josie Moreland, Waukee NW 5-07 5-05 IATC
HJ Regan Hanflet, Ankeny 5-07 5-05 IATC
HJ Keely Collins, Charles City 5-07 5-05 Wartburg #1
LJ Isabelle Noring, Carlisle 18-04.50 17-06 UNI
LJ Makayla Crannell, ADM 17-06.50 17-06 UNI
 
Boys Blue Standard Qualifiers
Event Name  Time or Distance Blue Standard Meet
800 James Fingalson, Mason City 1:56.59 1:57.50 IATC
800 Moustafa Tiea, IC West 1:56.95 1:57.50 IATC
800 Carson Lane, Johnston 1:57.44 1:57.50 IATC
800 Chase Lauman, Pella 1:56.98 1:57.50 UNI
1600 Chase Lauman, Pella 4:17.24 4:20.00 IATC
1600 Carson Lane, Johnston 4:18.16 4:20.00 IATC
3200 Aaron Fynaardt, DM Christian 9:21.46 9:25.00 IATC
3200 Chase Lauman, Pella 9:24.86 9:25.00 IATC
3200 Natnael Kifle, SC North 9:21.90 9:25.00 IATC
400M Ryce Reynolds, Mt Ayr 49.94 50.20 IATC
400M Elijah Morris, Washington 48.49 50.20 IATC
400M Lucas Koerselman, WDM Valley 50.06 50.20 IATC
4x1 Columbus Community,                                                                  Columbus Junction 43.80 43.36 IATC
4x4 Mason City 3:21.41 3:26.00 IATC
4x4 Linn Mar 3:24.94 3:26.00 IATC
HJ Triston Miller, Columbus Community 6-6 6-6 IATC
HJ Johnny Amina, North Cedar 6-6 6-6 IATC
HJ Matt Schaeckenbach, IC City High 6-6.7.25 6-6 IATC
LJ Anthony Glay, DC-Grimes 23-00.25 22-00 IATC
LJ Abu Sama, SE Polk 23-11.75 22-00 UNI
Shot Put Thomas Huneke, Underwood 57-00.75 54-00 IATC
Shot Put Trevor Veenstra, Pella Christian 55-6.75 54-00 IATC
Shot Put Keaton Reskop, Linn Mar 54-2.5 54-00 IATC
Shot Put Spencer Kessell, Louisa Muscatine 61-4.50 54-00 UNI
Shot Put Sam Watts, Linn Mar 56-06.50 54-00 UNI
Shot Put Duke Faley, Dub Wahlert 55-08.25 54-00 UNI
Shot Put Hanson King, Pella 54-00 54-00 UNI
Shot Put Sam Dietz, Ankeny Centennial 54-00.25 54-00 Wartburg #1
 
To view the entire 2023 Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom schedule, click here.

All-session tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at www.draketix.com/drakerelays.

All-session reserved tickets are $100 and all-session general admission tickets are $75. Single-session tickets go on sale to the public at noon, Tuesday, April 4. Early access to single-session tickets begins on Thursday, March 30 when pre-sale opens at noon.

The last day to make a gift to receive Baton Club benefits like parking and hospitality is this Friday, March 17th. Gifts to the Baton Club support upgrades to the Blue Oval, help attract a competitive field, and much more. More information about the Baton Club can be found here: DrakeTix.com - Baton Club
 
Blue Standard Important Notes:
  • Coaches are still required to enter the athlete(s)/relay that achieve a Blue Standard in the event on Varsity Bound Meets before the entry deadline.
  • Achieving the Blue Standard in an event guarantees acceptance only when the coach enters the athlete/relay in the event. 
  • Should four or more athletes from one team meet the standard in the same event, it is up to the coach to determine which three athletes will be entered.
  • Individuals/Relays do NOT need to meet this standard to qualify for the Drake Relays.    
  • Iowa high school entries are submitted on Varsity Bound Meets with an entry deadline of Friday, April 21 at 8 a.m. 
  • The High School Entry Information Packet has complete details on event entry limits, historical entry cut-off marks, finalization of entries, fees, parent/guardian release directions and the 2023 High School Blue Standards
  • Coaches  are encouraged to review the packet for proper entry procedures and key information on the tentative accepted list posting for coaches' review Friday, April 21.
 
Elite High School Mile Important Notes:
  • Friday Night at the Relays will be highlighted by an elite 1-mile run for boys and girls. The girls 1-mile is scheduled for 8:28 p.m. and the boys 1-mile is planned for 8:35 p.m. Friday, April 28.
  • In Iowa, the girls traditionally run the 1500 meters and the boys run 1600 meters. A mile is equal to 1609.34 meters and the distance has been a historical feature of the sport.
  • Iowa students will still be allowed to compete in only four events in the Drake Relays and they cannot compete in both the mile and 1600m/1500m. Iowa students will be allowed to enter both the mile and 1600m/1500m. If accepted in the mile, they will be scratched from the Iowa High School 1500 meters or 1600 meters. The field sizes for the Iowa High School girls 1500 meters and boys 1600 meters will remain unchanged at 21, increasing opportunities for Iowan athletes.
  • The event will feature athletes from Iowa but athletes from bordering states and Kansas are also invited to enter.
  • Athletes from out of state will not be allowed to enter any event other than the boys and girls 1-mile runs.
  • The intention is to highlight Iowa's top athletes alongside other national standouts in the Midwest, while also increasing opportunities for Iowans in the 1500m and 1600m.
  • This is not intended to be an annual event. Rather, it is an opportunity for Iowa's top athletes to be part of history in 2023.
  • Since the mile is not a standard high school event, entry marks will be accepted from the 800 meters, 1500 meters, 1600 meters, 3000 meters and 3200 meters, using publicly available conversion methods (e.g. World Athletics scoring table).
  • Athletes will need to enter using a Google form linked here, and official results for verification purposes should be linked in the form or sent to  noah.larrison@drake.edu. Entries will close April 21 at 8 a.m., and an unofficial list of athletes will be posted by 1 p.m. that same day. Entries will be final 8 p.m. April 21.
  • Any performance from a publicly verifiable competition in 2023, will be eligible for entry consideration. This includes any sanctioned high school competition, USATF sanctioned competition, competition hosted by a collegiate institution or other open competition with verifiable results.
  • With a target of 12 athletes per race, field sizes will be finalized in a way to ensure competitiveness for all athletes and maximize athlete performances based on entries.
  • Accepted entries will be charged $15 per athlete.
  • The mile races for the boys and girls will be sanctioned by the NFHS, IHSAA and IGHSAU. Only athletes from Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin are eligible to participate. Participation will not affect the eligibility of students from Iowa and will affect the eligibility of student-athletes from other states according to the respective state high school athletic association. It is recommended that athletes from outside of Iowa contact their respective state association to confirm their eligibility status.
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