The 115th Drake Relays have begun, and several local student-athletes are set to compete Friday.
The day will begin at 8:35 a.m. with Iowa Falls-Alden sophomore Izzy Janssen competing in the 100-meter hurdles preliminary race. She says hurdling comes naturally.
“I started hurdling in seventh grade in the first meet,” Janssen says. “I really didn’t want to do it at first, but then I did it and I won and I actually broke the school record the first time. So then I thought, oh, well, I might as well keep doing it and keep getting better as I keep going throughout my high school career too. I had really been looking forward to it and trying to get to the Drake Relays, and it was just really a relief and really exciting to actually have made it.”
Those who advance to the finals will compete later that morning at 10:34.
After competing in the discus on Thursday, Hampton-Dumont-CAL senior Charlee Morton will compete for her third Drake Relays shot put title at 9:00 a.m.
Grundy Center junior Allison Koch will compete in the high jump for the second time in her career. She placed 10th in 2023.
“It’s always kind of surreal to know that you’re top in the state out of all classes, especially it’s always slightly unknown going until final results are in because things can change and times are always changing and your heights are always changing too,” Koch says.
She’ll be joined by Clarion-Goldfield-Dows senior MaKayla Beisel. The event will start at 11:00 a.m.
Grundy Center junior Grace Storjohann will compete in the 800-meter run. She says throughout her career, she’s found that the middle distance races are her best fit.
“I originally joined and I was just sprinting in middle school, and then in eighth grade I joined cross country, and that’s when I moved up to sort of middle distance,” Storjohann says. “I ran maybe like two 800s my eighth grade year and then my freshman year is when I really started running it, and my time just kept going down and down, and then finally at State I ended up getting like fourth my freshman year, so it was clearly the right distance for me.”
That race will be at 1:40 p.m.
To end the night, the Grundy Center boys 4×400-meter relay group of Brayden Davie, Brody Zinkula, Brayden Wallis and Judd Jirovsky will run in the prelim race at 8:44 p.m. The final race will be Saturday at 4:51 p.m.
Find the latest results, interviews and photos at radioonthego.com, Facebook and X.
Charlee Morton, Hampton-Dumont-CAL – shot put and discus
Izzy Janssen, Iowa Falls-Alden – 100m hurdles:
Allison Koch and Grace Storjohann, Grundy Center – high jump and 800m:
Dike-New Hartford girls 4×100:
Dike-New Hartford boys 4×100:
Devin Hinders, Grundy Center – 4×100 (other 4×100 and 4×400 participants unavailable at time of interview):
South Hardin girls 4×100:
MaKayla Beisel, Clarion-Goldfield-Dows – high jump:
