DES MOINES, Iowa – The 116th running of America's Athletic Classic will again feature another spectacular selection of elite athletes as part of the World Athletics Continental Tour (WACT) hurdle events. The 2026 Drake Relays will include four sections of world-class participants in the women's 100m hurdles, men's 110m hurdles, and both men's and women's 400m hurdles.
 
"This year's hurdle fields perfectly capture what makes the Drake Relays so special," said Franklin P. Johnson, Director of the Drake Relays. "We have a dynamic mix of seasoned competitors who've excelled on the world stage alongside rising talent eager to make their mark. That combination of experience and youthful energy promises thrilling races and showcases the depth of talent across the discipline."

In the 100 hurdles, Denisha Cartwright of The Bahamas returns to Des Moines with a deep history on the Blue Oval. She was runner-up at the 2025 Drake Relays and built an exceptional collegiate résumé at Minnesota State University, where she won eight NCAA Division II gold medals and captured seven Drake Relays titles. Cartwright finished seventh at the 2026 World Indoor Championships and qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games. Her personal best of 12.60 ranks second all-time in Bahamian history. Fellow Caribbean competitor Amoi Brown of Jamaica placed eighth at the World Indoor Championships and qualified for the World Outdoor Championships in 2025. Her personal best of 12.51 ranks her ninth on her home nation's all-time list, highlighting her steady rise on the international stage.

Other international standouts in the women's 100m hurdles field include Evonne Britton of Ghana who qualified for the 2026 World Indoor Championships and holds the Ghanaian national record of 12.92, and Costa Rican Andrea Vargas, a 2021 Olympian, World Outdoor finalist, and two-time Pan American Games champion.

Alia Armstrong enters the field as the 2026 U.S. Indoor champion and a sixth-place finisher at the 2026 World Indoor Championships, adding to her credentials as a 2022 World Outdoor finalist. Her personal best of 12.32 ranks her as the ninth-fastest American of all time. A former NCAA champion at Louisiana State University, Armstrong continues to establish herself among the elite U.S. hurdlers. Fellow LSU Tiger Tonea Marshall will also be in Drake Stadium. Marshall is a seven-time U.S. Championships finalist and finished runner-up at the Drake Relays in both 2022 and 2023.

The women's 100m hurdles lineup will be rounded out by Danae Dyer, the 2026 US Indoor Championships runner-up, and Alexandra Webster, who finished fifth at the 2026 U.S. Indoor Championships in the 60-meter hurdles.

De'Vion Wilson returns as the defending Drake Relays men's 110m hurdles champion after reaching both the U.S. Indoor and Outdoor Championships finals in 2025 and qualifying for the Olympic Trials final in 2024. He earned All-American honors indoors and outdoors at the University of Houston. Two more Relays winners, Darius Brown and Jamal Britt, will also be in the field. Brown placed fourth at the 2026 U.S. Indoor Championships after winning the Drake Relays University/College division in 2025 while competing for DePaul University. Britt starred at Iowa and was third at the 2026 US Indoor Championships.

The Caribbean culture is also present on the men's side. Jamaicans Lafranz Campbell, who placed fourth at the 2025 Drake Relays, and Giano Roberts, a 3-time All-American at Clemson, will have their talents on display. The roster for the men's 110m hurdles also includes Tade Ojora, a 2024 Olympic qualifier and 5-time British national champion, Connor Schulman, a 2-time US Indoor finalist, and Jamar Marshall, a current University of Houston senior and 6-time NCAA qualifier.

2024 Olympic 4x400 relay gold medalist Shamier Little will highlight the women's 400m hurdles. Little is a 2-time World Championships silver medalist and 3-time American champion in the 400 hurdles. Her personal record of 52.39 ranks fifth all-time in United States' history and seventh all-time in the world.

Grace Claxton, who finished third at this meet in 2025 and is a two-time Olympian having represented Puerto Rico at the 2016 and 2024 Olympic Games, and Lauren Hoffman, who competed for the Philippines at the 2024 Olympic Games in the 400m hurdles and holds the Philippine national record of 55.72, which she set at this meet in 2024 while crossing the line in second, will be back on the Blue Oval for the women's 400m hurdles.

Those Relays veterans will be tested by Jamaican Sanique Walker, the runner-up at the 2025 NACAC Championships. Abbey Glynn, a 2026 World Indoor Championships qualifier, and Dinedye Denis, the Ivory Coast record holder with a time of 55.09, Aliya Garozzo, a 2025 NCAA 400 hurdles qualifier and All-American at Duke, and Riley Knebes, a fixture at the last five U.S. Championships, add to the women's ledger.

The men's 400m hurdles will showcase a field of international talent from around the globe. Assinie Wilson represents Jamaica as a two-time World Championships qualifier in 2023 and 2025 and finished fourth at last year's Relays. His countryman Malik James-King ran for his nation at the 2024 Olympic Games while posting a 47.42, the second-best time in Jamaican history.

Pablo Ibanez of El Salvador and Guillermo Campos Ornelas will bring their Latin American flare to Des Moines. Ibanez is a five-time national champion and three-time World Championships qualifier while Ornelas holds the Mexican national record of 49.27. France's Clement Ducos, who finished fourth at the 2024 Olympics in his home country, adds another layer to the diverse men's 400m roster.

Other men's 400m hurdlers include Aldrich Bailey, Jr., the 2024 Drake Relays champion, AJ Allen, a 2024 Olympian and 2025 NACAC champ, and James Smith II, last year's US Championships runner-up.

Tickets to the 2026 Drake Relays are available for purchase here.

Drake Relays Women's 100m Hurdles Field
Alia Armstrong
Evonne Britton
Amoi Brown
Denisha Cartwright
Danae Dyer
Tonea Marshall
Andrea Vargas
Alexandra Webster

Drake Relays Men's 110m Hurdles Field
Jamal Britt
Darius Brown
Lafranz Campbell
Jamar Marshall
Tade Ojora
Giano Roberts
Connor Schulman
De'Vion Wilson

Drake Relays Women's 400m Hurdles Field
Grace Claxton
Dinedye Denis
Lauren Hoffman
Aliya Garozzo
Abbey Glynn
Riley Knebes
Shamier Little
Sanique Walker
 
Drake Relays Men's 400m Hurdles Field
CJ Allen
Aldrich Bailey, Jr.
Clement Ducos
Pablo Ibanez
Malik James-King
Guillermo Campos Ornelas
James Smith II
Assinie Wilson