DES MOINES, Iowa – Karen Dennis, who guided Ohio State to 16 Drake Relays titles in a 7-year period, will be inducted into the Drake Relays Coaches Hall of Fame during an April 24 luncheon at the Schickler Club in the Knapp Center on the Drake University campus. The Hall of Fame induction will be held in conjunction with the 115th running of the Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom.

"Coach Dennis and her teams were some of the most decorated to compete in the history of our university division," Franklin P. Johnson Director of the Drake Relays Blake Boldon said. "I admire her commitment to not only the Drake Relays but to fostering successful athletes and improving the sport of track and field. Dennis' Buckeye teams always made their mark on the Blue Oval, and now Coach Dennis will be forever listed among some of our event's greatest instructors."

The induction of Dennis will increase membership in the Drake Relays Coaches Hall of Fame to 93. The Coaches Hall of Fame was established in 1977 with charter members John L. Griffith (Drake), Harry Gill (Illinois), Tom E. Jones (Wisconsin), Clyde Littlefield (Texas), Leo Johnson (Illinois) and Bill Easton (Drake, Kansas)
 
Individual tickets and table reservations to attend the Hall of Fame luncheon on April 24 are available for purchase. If interested, contact Carolyn Burch Kirchhoff (carolyn.kirchhoff@drake.edu), director of the Drake Relays Baton Club.
 
Dennis left her mark on the track & field world during a long career, retiring from coaching in 2022 after 20 seasons at Ohio State and 45 years of collegiate coaching overall. With 13 Big Ten team championships (12 at Ohio State), 12 Big Ten Coach of the Year accolades, coaching eight Olympians and eight national champions and garnering six USTFCCCA Regional Coach of the Year awards, Dennis is a legend within the sport. She became the first coach in Big Ten history to be named coach of the year on both the men's and women's side at the same outdoor championships, doing so just weeks before her retirement.
 
Under Dennis, the Ohio State women won the Hy-Vee Cup at the 2017 Drake Relays, buoyed by second place finishes in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays and a third in the 4x800. Leticia Wright from Ohio State won the women's university-college division 100 hurdles in 2010 and 2011, setting a meet record of 12.87 in 2011 which still stands today. The Buckeyes' Alexis Franklin swept the women's university-college 400 hurdles in 2014 and 2015, becoming the first in the event to repeat titles in 10 years. Ohio State also won the women's university-college 100, 800 and 1500 at the 2018 Drake Relays.
 
The Buckeyes sped to championships in the Drake Relays men's university division 4x100 relay in 2017 and 2018, becoming the first team to win back-to-back titles in the event in 10 years. Ohio State's JC Murasky won back-to-back men's university division shot put crowns in 2015 and 2016. Zack Bazile won the 2018 Drake Relays men's university-college long jump and a month later captured the NCAA Outdoor championship.
 
"I'm deeply honored to be inducted into the Drake Relays Hall of Fame Class of 2025," Dennis said. "Over the past several decades, securing an invitation for my teams to compete in the Drake Relays has consistently highlighted our outdoor track and field schedule. We have always looked forward to competing on the famous Blue Oval with other great teams from throughout the country. To now be considered for this prestigious honor is humbling, and I'm looking forward in returning to Des Moines to share in the Hall of Fame Ceremony during the 2025 Drake Relays."
 
Dennis began her coaching career as an assistant coach at Michigan State in 1977 before being promoted to head coach in 1981. She accepted a similar position as head coach at UNLV from 1992-2002 before joining the Ohio State staff. Dennis coached the Ohio State women's program from 2006-14, then became head coach of the overall program.
 
Under Dennis' leadership, athletes captured 118 Big Ten Conference individual titles plus an additional 22 relay crowns for a total of 140 Big Ten champions as head coach at Ohio State and Michigan State. Among the national champions were Christina Manning in the 60- and 100-meter hurdles in 2012 and three-time shot put champ Adelaide Aquilla. Her 2018 men's team swept the Big Ten indoor and outdoor championships. The Ohio State women's team completed a similar sweep in 2019 and 2011 and repeated as outdoor champion in 2012. In 2022, she guided the Buckeyes to the men's and women's outdoor titles to finish her Ohio State career with five women's outdoor championships, four women's indoor crowns, two men's outdoor titles and one men's indoor championship.
 
Dennis' coaching leadership on the national and international track and field circuit was highlighted by serving as head coach of the U.S. women's track and field team at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Prior to her Olympic coaching duties with Team USA, Dennis was an assistant coach of U.S. national teams at the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden; the 1991 Pan American Games in Havana, Cuba; and the 1989 World University Championships in Duisburg, Germany.
 
Dennis is a member of the USA Track & Field International Competition Committee and a past president of the Athletic Congress Women's Track Coaches Association. She also has served as a member of the NCAA Women's Track and Field Committee and the NCAA Track Coaches Association.

Dennis has been enshrined in three other Halls of Fame. She was named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Coaches Hall of Fame in 2018, to the Michigan State Sports Hall of Fame in 2019 and to the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020.

Dennis is a 1977 graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in public affairs management and received her master's degree in sports administration in 1979. She helped the Spartans' track and field team to a fourth-place finish at the 1975 AIAW national championships.