DES MOINES, IOWA — Two-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser overcame the cold and rain to set a Drake Relays record en route to posting the top shot put throw in the world highlighting the final day of activities during the 113th running of the Drake Relays, presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom.
Tia Jones posted the second fastest time in the women's invitational 100 hurdles, while reigning World Champion Chase Ealey held off one of the best women's shot put fields in Drake Relays history.
Crouser moved into the top spot in the world in the shot put with a Drake Relays record throw of 73-5 ¼ (22.38m) in the invitational section of the event, breaking the meet record of 72-6 ¼ set by Christian Cantwell in 2006.
Eleven Drake Relays records were set during the three-day track and field extravaganza including three on the final day.
Winning his fifth straight Relays title, Crouser launched the third and fourth-ever throws of 22+ meters in Drake Relays history and now owns 203 throws over 22 meters in his career. Crouser also holds the Drake Stadium record of 74-6 1/2 (22.72m) set at the 2020 Blue Oval Showcase. Tripp Piperi was second with a mark of 70-6 ¼ (21.49m) that ranks sixth in the world.
"I've been chasing the Drake Relays record for a long time," said Crouser, the world-record holder in the event. "I own the Drake Stadium record, so I'm happy to finally get Christian Cantwell's record. I felt really good despite the conditions today."
World Record Holder Fourth in Women's 100 Hurdles
Jones was the youngest runner in the women's 100 hurdles but also the fastest with a 12.44 clocking, which ranks No. 2 in the world, to win the event for the second straight year. She maintained her form as rain soaked the Blue Oval in recording the second-fastest legal time in the event at the Drake Relays.
Tonea Marshall, fourth at the USA Championships last year, finished second in 12.61 and 34-year-old Nia Ali, appearing in her fifth Drake Relays, took third in 12.67.
Nigeria's Tobi Amusan, who set a world record in the 2022 World Championships, finished fourth in her outdoor debut in 12.69.
Ealey captured the women's shot put with a throw of 19.12m/62-8.75 — one of the four women in the event to break the 60-foot mark in the event, marking the first time in the event's history at the Drake Relays that more than two women have surpassed the 60-foot mark.
Ealey's winning throw came on her third attempt and ranks fifth in the world this season. Ealey bested the field by more than a foot as Maggie Ewen was second in 61-6.75 (18.76m). Nebraska's Alexina Johansson, the Swedish indoor national record holder, was third in 61-5 (18.72m). Jamaican indoor national record holder Danniel Thomas-Dodd uncorked a throw of 60-10.75 (18.56m) on her final throw to join the 60-foot club after fouling on four of her previous five attempts.
Allen Wins Second Drake Relays Title
U.S. Olympian Anna Cockrell bolted into the lead at the start and held it throughout the race in winning the invitational women's 400 hurdles. Cockrell, a semifinalist at the Tokyo Olympics, held off Andrenette Knight and Gianna Woodruff to win in 55.52. Knight ran 56.17 to finish second and Woodruff was third in 56.62. Cockrell, an NCAA champion at Southern Cal, moved up from third in this race at the 2022 Drake Relays.
C.J. Allen ran away from the field down the stretch to claim his second Drake Relays championship in the invitational men's 400 hurdles. Allen built his lead steadily through the race before speeding down the straightaway to win in 48.78. It was his second major victory of the month after winning at the Texas Relays. He also won at Drake in 2019. A strong finish propelled Amere Lattin into second in 50-flat and Khallifah Rosser got third in his outdoor debut, running 50.27. This was the fourth straight appearance at the Drake Relays for Rosser, who was the runner-up in 2019.
Former Iowa track and field standout Jamal Britt won the invitational men's 110 hurdles in a wind-aided 13.29. A three-time All-American while competing for the Hawkeyes, Britt was runner-up a year ago in the invite section at Drake and was third in 2021. Nebraska's Darius Luff placed second in 13.48.
2021 Olympic gold medalist Hansle Parchment from Jamaica couldn't overcome a sluggish start and finished fourth in 13.60 in the 110 hurdles.
After winning the USATF 1-Mile Road Race on Tuesday, Nikki Hiltz won the women's invitational 1500 in 4:09.02.Utah's Simone Plourde placed second 4:10.04 and Nike's Helen Schlachtenhaufen was third in 4:11.76. Addy Wiley of Huntington University placed fourth in 4:12.53 which is an all-time best by a NAIA athlete.
Nebraska, Utah Win Relays Cups
In her outdoor track debut, Under Armour's Susan Ejore didn't disappoint, winning the invitational women's 800 in 2:03.84. Emily Richards, who was a nine-time NCAA Division III champion while competing at Ohio Northern, placed second in 2:04.04 while Mallory Lindaman was third in 2:06.35.
Utah, coached by Iowa native Kyle Kepler, won the women's Relays Cup with a consistent performance throughout the meet. The Utes placed in all five events that were scored, winning the sprint medley relay and finishing second in the 4x800 and distance medley. Minnesota, the 4x100 and 4x400 winner, was second with 23 points.
Nebraska captured the men's Relays Cup with 26 points after winning the 4x400 and 4x800. Air Force, the distance medley winner, was second with 21 points.
Minnesota State won the Relays Cup in both college divisions, compiling 33 points on the women's side and 30 in the men's races. The Mavericks won the 4x100 and sprint medley in both competitions.
Freshman Mackenzie Carney, a familiar name on the Drake Stadium Blue Oval, anchored Iowa State to an impressive victory in the women's university-college shuttle hurdle relay. The Cyclones won in 55.97, the No. 4 collegiate time in the country this year. They also won this event in 2019. Carney won six Drake Relays championships during her high school years at Waukee and also was a six-time state champion.
Cyclone senior Kaylyn Hall also won the women's university 100 hurdles with a personal best of 13.12 to become the first Iowa State athlete to win the event in its 33-year history at the Drake Relays. Her time is also the second-fastest ever by a Cyclone.
Indiana State cruised to an easy victory in the men's university-college shuttle hurdle relay, running 58.60 for its sixth Relays championship and third since 2019. Grand View, located across town from Drake Stadium, was second in 59.33 – the top time in NAIA this season. Minnesota State was third in 59.65, the No. 2 time in NCAA Division II.
The Iowa State women snapped another long drought by winning its first women's distance medley relay title since 2010. Freshman Ashlyn Keeney, running a 4:48.60 anchor, powered the Cyclones to the third fastest collegiate time in the nation this spring winning 11:21.50.
Air Force Earns Third Victory
Iowa State captured the women's 4x1600 relay Friday in 19:04.56 with Kenney running the second leg.
It marked the 10th time in Drake Relays history that a school has won both the women's 4x1600 and distance medley relay in the same Drake Relays.
Air Force picked up victory No. 3 in this year's Drake Relays with a come-from-behind win in the men's university distance medley relay. Sean Maison took the Falcons from third to first during his 1600-meter anchor carry and got them to the finish in 9:48.39. Iowa State was second in 9:49.55 and Indiana State took third in 9:51.00. Air Force also won the men's 4x1600 relay and got a victory from Jalan Rivers in the men's high jump. It's the 30th time a team has achieved a DMR-4x1600 double at the Relays.
Northern Iowa's Isaiah Trousil has a Drake Relays championship in the event. Trousil ran a wind-aided 10.14 to become the second UNI champion in the event, following Brandon Carnes in 2016 and 2017. He finished second in the 100 at Drake last year and won the 200.
Minnesota's Amira Young earned her second Relays Flag in the women's 100 meters, crossing the line in a wind-aided 11.31 after winning the title in 2019. Young is just the fourth performer to win multiple titles in the women's 100 meters and is the first since LaQuinta Manahan of UT-Arlington won consecutive titles in 2000 and 2001.
Young also ran legs on the Gophers' winning 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
Two records fell in the high school division during the weekend and Cedar Rapids Washington's Miles Thompson was involved in both. Thompson set a Relays record of 10.37 in the preliminaries of the 100 before coming back to win the final. Then he ran the second leg in helping the Warriors set a record of 41.71 in the 4x100, a performance that ranks No. 3 on the state's all-time list.
