Utah scores in five relays, including 1,600-meter sprint medley victory, to prevail with 36 points and Nebraska relies on 4x400 and 4x800 wins to triumph with 26 points; Minnesota State holds off Loras in both genders, as multiple NCAA Division 2 and 3 all-time marks, along with several NAIA records fall, plus Zaltos’ hammer throw meet record 

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Photos by Ava Kitzi and Matthew Putney

DES MOINES, Iowa – Kyle Kepler has mentored successful student-athletes and teams for a quarter-century in collegiate cross country and track and field, including the past 18 years at Utah.

But winning has always been a little more significant for the Webster City, Iowa native when it occurs at what he considers a “cathedral” of the sport at the Blue Oval of Jim Duncan Track at Drake Stadium.

Justin St. Clair has been recognized for more than a decade as one of the elite throwing coaches in the world, creating an incredible legacy of NCAA Division 1 champions and All-Americans at North Dakota State.

But in a little less than two years at Nebraska, St. Clair has established the Cornhuskers as a leading contender in the Big Ten Conference, and they created additional momentum toward reaching that goal with their performances at the 113th Drake Relays.

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Nebraska relied on a win from Sam Easley, Nick Bryant, Omar Rodgers and Niko Schultz in the men’s 4x400 in 3:09.28, as well as Cortez Ruiz joining Bryant, Easley and Schultz on the victorious 4x800 in 7:25.78, as well as a third-place finish in the 1,600-meter sprint medley relay to accumulate 26 points, holding off Air Force to capture the University Relays Cup.

Utah was the only women’s program to score in all five events Friday and Saturday, amassing 36 points, highlighted by its sprint medley relay triumph from Dinedye Denis, Maya Lebar, Emily Martin and Josefine Eriksen in 3:58.41, and runner-up finishes in the 4x800 and distance medley relay, allowing Kepler – a former Northern Iowa athlete and coach – to raise the prestigious trophy for the first time in Utah program history.

For the first time in meet history a College Relays Cup competition was held and NCAA Division 2 powerhouse Minnesota State swept both the men’s and women’s titles.

The Mavericks held off elite Division 3 program Loras College in both competitions, winning the women’s team title with 33 points and the men’s crown with 30 points.

Minnesota State also contributed to an impressive run of NCAA and NAIA all-time marks during the meet with its women’s 1,600 sprint medley relay performance Friday of 3:53.52, with more division records being produced Saturday.

Augustana from South Dakota not only won its fifth consecutive women’s DMR at the Drake Relays, the longest streak in the event in meet history, but Mia Salas, Ella Heinitz, Caroline Sudbeck and PJ English clocked 11:42.58 to lower the NCAA Division 2 record, which the program set last year in Des Moines by running 11:42.94.

Loras set the Division 3 all-time mark with its runner-up finish in 11:44.22, as Ellie Osterberger, Harmony Creasy, Elly Burds and Kassie Parker eclipsed the 2016 standard of 11:44.93 achieved at the Drake Relays by St. Norbert.

The Duhawks, who already lowered the Division 3 men’s 4x800 relay record Friday, had Wyatt Kelly, Matt Marcum, Carter Oberfoell and Ryan Harvey smash the men’s DMR all-time mark Saturday by winning in 9:45.73, with Wartburg placing second in 9:49.59, as both teams ran under the 2000 performance of 9:53.78 achieved by North Central from Illinois.

Loras was responsible for three of the four Division 3 records achieved at Drake Stadium, with Nebraska Wesleyan clocking 3:22.04 in the 1,600 sprint medley relay to place second overall behind Minnesota State (3:21.47), but eclipse the 2019 all-time effort of 3:25.94 produced by the Duhawks at Drake Relays.

Dordt also achieved the NAIA 1,600 sprint medley relay record Friday, taking third in 3:22.97, to lower the 2016 standard of 3:26.01 established by Briar Cliff.

Augustana’s Colten Brand, Gavin Fischer, Jonah Breuer and Ryan Hartman also produced the Division 2 men’s DMR all-time mark of 9:51.13 by taking third.

Dordt finished fifth in the men’s DMR in 10:03.05, producing a new NAIA record by taking down the 2018 mark of 10:06.33 by Olivet Nazarene.

The performance by Dordt’s Thaniel Schroeder, Levi Schelhaas, Payton Mauldin, Trey Engen was one of five NAIA all-time performances at the Drake Relays, three coming in relays.

Grand View’s Mason Thompson, Spencer Thomas, Kevin Curet and Chantz Minear placed second in the men’s 4x110 shuttle hurdles relay in 59.33, with Indiana State’s Daryl Black, Collin Forrest, Luigi Rivas and Quincy Armstrong winning in 58.60.

Keiser University in Florida held the previous NAIA record of 59.41 since 2019.

Huntington’s Addy Wiley clocked 4:12.53 in the elite women’s 1,500-meter race Saturday for her first outdoor record following several NAIA all-time indoor marks, with Hannah Antkoviak running 56.97 on Friday in the women’s invitational 400-meter hurdles.

Minnesota’s Kostas Zaltos set a meet record and took over the NCAA lead in the men’s hammer throw with a lifetime-best mark of 246-11 (75.27m) in the second round.

Zaltos, who elevated to the No. 18 all-time collegiate performer and trails only NAIA standout Rowan Hamilton of British Columbia at 248-7 (75.77m) this season, surpassed the meet record of 238-9 (72.77m) achieved in 2002 by SMU’s Libor Charfreitag and equaled in 2008 by Auburn’s Cory Martin.

Minnesota also swept the men’s and women’s 4x100 relays in 39.30 and 44.60, respectively, along with capturing the women’s 4x400 title in 3:37.48 and Amira Young emerging victorious in the women’s 100-meter dash final in a wind-legal 11.31.

It marked the first men’s 4x100 title since 1955 for the Golden Gophers at the Drake Relays, along with the first victory in meet history in the women’s 4x100.

Minnesota State swept its section of the 4x100 with marks of 41.28 and 45.30, respectively.

Indiana State won the women’s 4x400 in its section for the first time in 3:47.59, with St. Thomas of Minnesota clocking 3:14.92 in its section of the men’s 4x400.

Loras secured the women’s 4x400 in its division in 3:40.75, with Iowa Western Community College earning the men’s 4x400 victory in 3:09.70.

Iowa State’s Kaylyn Hall enjoyed another personal-best effort to win the women’s 100 hurdles in a wind-legal 13.12, in addition to joining fellow fifth-year senior Katarina Vlahovic and freshmen Mackenzie Carney and Katie Ruffener to win the 4x100 shuttle hurdles relay in 55.97, the first title for the Cyclones in the event since 2019.

Makayla Clark, Bria Barnes, Kinsey Christianson and Ashlyn Keeney produced another victory for Iowa State, capturing the women’s distance medley relay title in 11:21.50 to secure the first championship for the Cyclones since 2010.

Air Force won its second relay crown of the meet, following a men’s 4x1,600 victory Friday with a DMR triumph Saturday, as Sean Maison, Alex Patton, Cameron Breier and Eli Bennett clocked 9:48.39 to edge Iowa State in 9:49.55, the first title in the event for the Falcons since 2016.

Northern Iowa’s Isaiah Trousil prevailed in the men’s 100 final in a wind-aided 10.14, with South Dakota’s Hugo Morvan, representing France, achieving a victory in the men’s 110 hurdles final in a wind-legal 13.88.

Nebraska’s Jenna Rogers secured the win in the women’s high jump with a first-attempt clearance at 5-10.50 (1.79m), becoming the Cornhuskers’ first female athlete since Sharon Burrill in 1979-80 to capture a Drake Relays title in the event.

Mirta Kulisic, representing Croatia, was the top collegiate athlete for Nebraska with her personal-best 176-6 (53.80m) to place second in the javelin throw behind Cornhuskers’ assistant coach Maggie Malone, who won the competition at 192-1 (58.54m).

Dameco Walker of Ripon triumphed in the men’s invitational long jump with a wind-legal effort of 24-9.25 (7.55m) in the fifth round.

Will Lawrence of Wisconsin-Platteville prevailed in the men’s invitational javelin throw with a sixth-round performance of 229-2 (69.85m) to elevate to No. 13 in Division 3 history.

Northern Iowa’s Makenna Wilson achieved only two recorded marks in the women’s invitational hammer throw, but her sixth-round effort of 212-1 (64.64m) was more than enough to earn the win.

Nebraska-Kearney’s Wes Ferguson held off Loras’ Mike Jasa by a 1:49.33 to 1:49.78 margin in the men’s 800.

Xavier’s Claire Sievern was victorious in the women’s 800 in 2:07.93.

The first collegiate wheelchair 100-meter champions were crowned at Drake Relays, with Illinois teammates Evan Correll and Jenna Fesemeyer clocking 15.38 and 18.31, respectively.