DES MOINES, Iowa – With Monday marking the official start date of the 2025 Iowa high school track and field season, Drake Relays has announced the Blue Standards for the 115th Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom. The Blue Standards are the qualifying marks that guarantee acceptance for Iowa high schoolers in the Drake Relays when entered in the meet. In addition to athletes that achieve these marks, coaches are encouraged to enter student-athletes outside of those marks for consideration on the accepted entry list.
"Every year the first day of high school track and field practice is an important day in Iowa. As a former Iowa prep, I was once one of the thousands of high school athletes targeting the Blue Oval each season," said
Blake Boldon, the Franklin P. Johnson Director of the Drake Relays. "For Iowa's best athletes, the season starts today, and we are excited to be part of that journey."
The Blue Standards do not change the entry process for student-athletes and coaches.
Coaches are still required to enter the athlete(s) in the event on Bound before the meet entry deadline Friday, April 18 at 6:00 a.m. Meeting 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. It is not a requirement that individuals or relays must meet this standard to qualify for the Drake Relays.
Entries for high schools will open on Monday, March 3 and will close Friday, April 18 at 6:00 a.m., providing coaches the early morning hours to update results from Thursday, April 17. The final high school start lists will be published on DrakeRelays.org before noon on Saturday, April 19.
The Blue Standards were created in 2018 to create tangible goals for Iowa's top athletes, and to assist coaches and families in planning their season. The Drake Relays High School Selection Committee establishes these standards each year with the aim of approximately 25 percent of qualified competitors having attained the mark in their respective event.
In 2024, 128 Iowa high school girls' teams were represented at the Drake Relays presented by Xtream, with 138 Iowa high school boys' teams. Of the 1,702 Iowa high school athletes who competed in last year's edition of America's Athletic Classic, 185 girls and 229 boys attained a Blue Standard. With competition fiercer than ever, the Drake Relays continues to be the pinnacle of high school athletics in Iowa, setting the stage for future collegiate and professional stars.
In this year's edition, Iowa high school boys and girls will each compete in 17 events. When compared to the standards from last year's Drake Relays, the 2025 Blue Standards became more challenging in 14 of the 17 boys events and in 13 of the 17 girls events.
"Each year Iowa's best athletes test themselves on the Blue Oval and this year Drake Relays fans were able to cheer as one of those recent champions scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl," Boldon said. "We are eager to host and celebrate the next class of Iowa's finest athletes as performances across the state continue to improve each year. Special credit goes to the coaches across Iowa who continue to elevate performances annually and retain the best athletes in the sport."
Those who achieve the Blue Standard are encouraged to post on social media mentioning @DrakeRelays using the hashtag #BlueOvalBound.
Drake Relays
2025 High School Blue Standards |
| Boys |
Field Size |
Girls |
| 100m |
10.80 |
32 |
100m |
12.43 |
| 400m |
49.00 |
16 |
400m |
57.05 |
| 800m |
1:55.00 |
16 |
800m |
2:15.50 |
| 1600m |
4:17.00 |
21 |
1500m |
4:43.00 |
| 3200m |
9:20.00 |
21 |
3000m |
10:14.00 |
| 110mH |
14.70 |
32 |
100mH |
15.30 |
| 400mH |
54.25 |
16 |
400mH |
1:05.25 |
| 400m Wheelchair |
1:10 |
|
400m Wheelchair |
1:30 |
| 4x100m |
43.50 |
96 |
4x100m |
50.50 |
| 4x200m |
1:29.00 |
24 |
4x200m |
1:44.50 |
| 4x400m |
3:24.50 |
24 |
4x400m |
4:02.50 |
| 4x800m |
8:02.00 |
16 |
4x800m |
9:34.00 |
| Shuttle Hurdle |
59.75 |
16 |
Shuttle Hurdle |
1:06.50 |
| 1600 Med |
3:34.00 |
24 |
800 Med |
1:49.00 |
| High Jump |
6-7 |
24 |
High Jump |
5-6 |
| Long Jump |
22-6 |
24 |
Long Jump |
17-10 |
| Discus |
175-0 |
24 |
Discus |
135-0 |
| Shot Put |
56-0 |
24 |
Shot Put |
41-0 |
For complete entry information, please visit here.
All Session tickets for the 115th Drake Relays April 23-26 are available now at https://godrakebulldogs.evenue.net/events/DR.
Pre-sale for single session tickets begins on Thursday, March 27.
