DES MOINES, Iowa –The 115th Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom was a true showcase of elite athleticism as hundreds of participants dazzled on the Blue Oval. Numerous Relays records fell over the weekend, and five of this week's USTFCCCA Athletes of the Week earned those honors in Drake Stadium, however four athletes stood above the rest and were chosen as the Relays Most Outstanding Performers.
"The 2025 Drake Relays was a tremendous success for all involved," Blake Boldon, the Franklin P. Johnson Director of the Drake Relays, explained. "These four Most Outstanding Performers are an excellent representation of just how challenging and competitive the 115th America's Athletic Classic was."
The winners of these prestigious awards consist of two athletes from the Collegiate/Invitational division and two from the High School level.
Quentin Nauman of Western Dubuque and Reese Brownlee of Clear Lake ran away with, both literally and figuratively, the Robert Kramme Award and Gerry Cooley Award, respectively. Nauman and Brownlee achieved feats that very few Relays champions have to highlight the prep division.
Nebraska's Till Steinforth and Oregon's Klaudia Kazimierska, two international and collegiate standouts, were also honored. Steinforth collected the Maury White Award while Kazimierska earned the Relays Most Outstanding Performer for the Collegiate/Invitational Men and Women, respectively.
2025 Drake Relays Most Outstanding Performers
Maury White Award (Collegiate/Invitational Men) – Till Steinforth
Collegiate/Invitational Women – Klaudia Kazimierska
Robert Kramme Award (High School Boys) – Quentin Nauman
Gerry Cooley Award (High School Girls) – Reese Brownlee
Nearly four decades after Rock Valley's Darwin Vande Hoef became the first athlete to win three individual Relays titles in the boys competition, Western Dubuque's Nauman matched it in 2025. Nauman, a junior who has committed to Oregon, completed his triple crown by winning the 1600 in 4:05.17, a Relays record and the fastest time ever in the state. That came after he won the 3200 in record time on Thursday and the 800 on Friday, tying the Relays record in that event. Nauman is the first boys athlete in Drake Relays history to win the 800, 1600, and 3200 in the same meet.
Other high school standouts on the boys side included shot put and discus champion Landon Prince of Clear Creek-Amana, boys 400m hurdles champion Gabe Funk of Lenox, and Camanche senior Tyson Seeser, who became just the fifth prep jumper in state history to best seven feet.
Clear Lake senior Reese Brownlee, a future Kansas State Wildcat, also hit a trifecta as the second high school girls athlete in Relays history to win three individual titles in the same meet, joining Shelby Houlihan in 2011. Brownlee won the long jump Thursday, 400 Friday, and set a Drake Relays record in the 400 hurdles Saturday. Her long jump crown was won by just a quarter of an inch over current state leader Abby Mecklenburg of Linn-Mar. She then nearly reset the girls 400 record with a 55.45 lap for the top spot. Brownlee completed her triple play with a record 59.86 run in the 400 hurdles.
Other vote-getters in the race for the Gerry Cooley Award, which must be given to a senior, were West Des Moines Valley's Emma Havighurst, who set a new Iowa all-time best in the girls 100 hurdles, Charlee Morton of Hampton-Dumont, who won her third straight prep shot put crown and was the runner-up in the girls discus, and Kadence Huck of Nashua-Plainfield, the girls 800m winner.
Nebraska's Till Steinforth repeated his decathlon championship with a meet record that lifted him to the No. 1 spot in the world this year. Steinforth amassed 8,265 points over the two days of competition to break a 29-year-old record held by Drake Relays Hall of Famer Kip Janvrin, who scored 8,198 points back in 1996. A native of Germany, Steinforth was 15th at the Paris Olympics last year and was the bronze medalist in the heptathlon at this year's World Indoor Championships.
Other collegiate and invitational men considered for the Maury White Award include Rudy Winkler, who heaved his way to the No. 2 hammer throw mark in the world this year, men's 1500 winner Vince Ciattei, and Minnesota sophomore Charles Godfred, who snapped the oldest mark in the Drake Relays record book with his long jump victory.
Oregon senior Klaudia Kazimierska picked up two impressive victories to highlight the Ducks' women's team in Des Moines. Kazimierska, who finished 10th in the 1500 at the 2024 Olympics competing for her native country of Poland, ran a 2:06.42 anchor leg of Oregon's winning 4x800 relay. That mark, with additions from Ella Nelson, Samantha McDonnell, and Mia Barnett, was the third-fastest in the world this year. Kazimierska followed her relay win with an individual crown the next day. The Polish star came from behind to clock a 2:02.03 800 capped by a 62-second bell lap to win the World Athletics Continental Tour women's race. Kazimierska was the only collegian in the elite 800 field.
Other top Collegiate and Invitational women include defending Olympic gold medalist Tara Davis-Woodhall for setting the Drake Relays WACT long jump record, Krissy Gear and her winning mile time, which also broke a 50-year-old Relays record, and double champion in the sprint medley and 100m dash Holly Duax of Iowa.
The Robert Kramme Award and Gerry Cooley Award will be presented to Nauman and Brownlee in Drake Stadium on Saturday, May 24 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. The Waukee Northwest girls earned 33 points to take top honors in the women's team race while Johnston broke a 20-point tie with Dowling Catholic via a better 4x200 placement to win the men's contest. 2025 Relays Cup standings are below:
Girls H.S. Relays Cup Results:
1. Waukee Northwest – 33
2. Pleasant Valley – 20
3. Indianola – 12
Johnson – 12
5. Pella Christian - 10
Boys H.S. Relays Cup Results:
1. Johnston – 20
Dowling Catholic - 20
3. Ankeny – 15
Cedar Falls – 15
5. Iowa City West – 10
Norwalk – 10
The 116th edition of the Drake Relays will be held at historic Drake Stadium April 22-24, 2026.
