DES MOINES, Iowa -- The 114th Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom was a true showcase of endurance and elite athleticism as hundreds of participants outlasted various weather delays to put on an impressive show. However, four athletes stood above the rest and were chosen as the Relays Most Outstanding Performers
"The 2024 Drake Relays were incredibly unique," Blake Boldon, the Franklin P. Johnson Director of the Drake Relays, explained. "The men's, women's, and high school girls award winners have etched their names in history with some of the most significant records ever set on the Blue Oval while voting in the high school boys division was the closest on record. These honors perfectly fit the unprecedented nature of this year's Relays."
The winners of these prestigious awards consist of two athletes from the Collegiate/Invitational division and two from the High School level.
John Reniewicki was named the Maury White Award winner and Olivia Markezich was the Relays Most Outstanding Performer for the women's side of the Collegiate/Invitational division. On the prep level, Aidan Jacobsen of Iowa City West was named as the receipient of the Robert Kramme Award and Valley's Addison Dorenkamp earned the Gerry Cooley Award.
2023 Drake Relays Most Outstanding Performers
Maury White Award (Collegiate/Invitational Men) – John Reniewicki
Collegiate/Invitational Women – Olivia Markezich
Robert Kramme Award (High School Boys) – Aidan Jacobsen
Gerry Cooley Award (High School Girls) – Addison Dorenkamp
Reniewicki made history on the Blue Oval with a record-breaking 1500m effort on Saturday. The 28-year-old won the 1500 as one of four competitors to beat Steve Scott's mark that stood for 40 years. Reniewicki outran the field with a winning time of 3:36.57 in the WACT event, a result good enough to set both Drake Relays and Drake Stadium records. He was also the runner-up at the USATF 1 Mile Road Championship earlier in the week.
Markezich, a graduate student at Notre Dame, anchored a pair of relay victories while setting new Drake Relays and Drake Stadium records. She finished off the Fighting Irish's first victory of the week in the 4x1600 with a time of 18:44.15 on Friday. Markezich brought home Notre Dame's second Relays win on Saturday, running the final leg of the title-winning distance medley. She is Notre Dame's first-ever winner of the Drake Relays Collegiate and Open Women's Most Outstanding Performer Award.
Jacobsen competed in four events over the course of the 2024 Relays and earned victories in two. He took home top honors in the 400 hurdles with a time of 52.52 and ran the third leg of the winning distance medley squad. The senior added to his Blue Oval experience in the shuttle hurdle relay and a fourth-place finish in the 4x200. Jacobsen is the first athlete from Iowa City West to win the Robert Kramme Award.
Hanson King of Pella, the winner of both the shot put and discus, finished as the boys' runner-up. Other finalists included ADM's Brevin Doll, the anchor on the Tigers' record-breaking 4x100 team and 100m dash third-place finisher, and Jaden Damiano of Iowa Falls-Alden, the 110m hurdles champion.
The storied amateur career of Addison Dorenkamp continued at this year's Relays. The Valley senior reset the Relays record and nearly set a new all-time best in the state of Iowa in the 1500 with a time of 4:26.93. Her record-breaking performance came late on Saturday after waiting through a three-hour weather delay. Dorenkamp also collected the 3000m crown in 9:23.69, nearly 20 seconds faster than the runner-up, and was the lead-off runner on Valley's fourth-place 4x800 team. The Alabama signee is the third Valley Tiger to win the Gerry Cooley Award, and the first since Sara Boisen in 2003.
The Robert Kramme Award and Gerry Cooley Award will be presented to Jacobsen and Dorenkamp in Drake Stadium on Saturday, May 18 during the final day of the Iowa High School Track and Field Championships. Also presented on that afternoon will be the High School Relays Cup trophies.
Due to the weather-adjusted schedule and various last-minute changes made on Saturday, the final High School Relays Cup standings were incorrectly announced. Here are the updated final team results:
Girls H.S. Relays Cup Results:
1. Pleasant Valley – 28
2. Waukee – 21
3. Waukee Northwest – 18
4. Johnston – 17
5. Pella Christian – 10
Boys H.S. Relays Cup Results:
1. Ankeny – 23
2. Iowa City West – 16
3. Dowling Catholic – 13
4. Johnston – 10
ADM – 10
Cedar Falls – 10
The 115th edition of the Drake Relays will be held at historic Drake Stadium April 23-26, 2025.
