By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The 111th Drake Relays presented by Xtream are scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Jim Duncan Track in Des Moines, Iowa.

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Here are 10 Iowa high school storylines to keep an eye on at one of the most prestigious meets in the country:

High expectations for Waukee hurdlers

Not only will the girls 100-meter hurdles showcase the top three competitors in the state competing side by side in consecutive lanes, but it will also highlight a clash of Waukee teammates in Mackenzie Carney, Kynzi Winger and Natalie Harris.

But the greatest indication of Waukee’s strength and depth could be on display in the 4x100-meter shuttle hurdle relay, with Camryn Weers also joining the group to challenge not only their meet record, but also the all-time state mark.

Waukee achieved both in 2017, clocking 1:00.95 and Drake Relays, before improving the performance to 1:00.61 to capture the 4A state championship and produce the fastest mark in Iowa prep history.

Although Waukee also won 4A state titles in the shuttle hurdles relay in 2018 and 2019, the Warriors haven’t prevailed at Drake Relays since 2017, with Dowling Catholic capturing the victory in 2018 and Ames achieving the feat in 2019.

Carney has an opportunity to become the first female athlete since Pleasant Valley’s Carly Donahue in 2016 to sweep the 100 hurdles, 400 hurdles and shuttle hurdle relay in the same year.

Tough choices for TJ

When you are the state leader in five events, including three relays, it makes the decisions a little more challenging to structure the right schedule that accommodates both individual goals and team aspirations.

Such was the case for Cedar Falls senior TJ Tomlyanovich, who ultimately chose to focus on the 400 meters, in addition to competing in the 4x400 and 4x800 relays. Tomlyanovich is also the 800 state leader this season at 1:54.61, but decided to only include one individual pursuit in his schedule.

In the 400, Tomlyanovich has run a state-leading 48.05, which is more than one second ahead of senior teammate Will Eastman.

Both athletes are scheduled to compete in the 4x400 and 4x800 relays for the Tigers, who boast the top entry marks at 3:19.07 and 7:55.04.

Cedar Falls has an advantage of more than four seconds on the field in the 4x400, but the challenge will be more difficult in the 4x800, with Pella and Iowa City Liberty both having run under the 8-minute mark this season.

The last boys program to win both the 4x400 and 4x800 in the same year at the Drake Relays was Indianola in 2010.

Cortez ready to capitalize on opportunities

The one-day schedule for high school athletes hasn’t discouraged Cedar Rapids Prairie’s Gabby Cortez from taking on a daunting schedule, with the junior entered in the 400 and 800 meters, as well as the 4x800 and 800-meter sprint medley relays.

Cortez enters the meet as the state leader in the 400 – an event only added to the high school schedule in 2019 – at 56.87 seconds, along with joining junior teammate Lily Johannes in the 800, with both athletes seeded among the top five entries after having run 2:18.50 and 2:18.74 this season.

Cortez and Johannes could have a major impact for Prairie in its quest to win the 4x800 relay for the first time in meet history, with the Hawks entering as the state leader at 9:33.61. But Prairie expects to face significant challenges from Waukee and Southeast Polk, with all three lineups separated by less than two seconds.

Waukee won the 4x800 title at Drake in 2018, with Southeast Polk setting a meet record by clocking 9:10.38 in 2019.

Although Prairie is also the state leader in the 1,600-meter sprint medley relay, the Hawks will be competing in the 800 sprint medley relay Thursday, with Cortez expected to anchor, as the group is looking to be a surprise threat competing in the second of three sections in the timed final.

Bartels looks to conquer big challenges

Since the boys shuttle hurdle relay was added to the meet schedule in 2009, no male athlete has been able to achieve the amazing trifecta of winning the 110- and 400-meter hurdles, along with contributing to the shuttle hurdle relay victory.

Kyle Dunn of Linn-Mar came the closest to producing the sweep in 2010, winning both individual events, but the shuttle hurdle relay for the Lions finished second.

Drew Bartels, a senior at Cedar Rapids Kennedy, has the potential to make hurdling history Thursday, as the top seed in the 110 hurdles at 14.35, along with the shuttle hurdle relay at 58.94.

Bartels, who is also the top qualifier in the long jump at 23-9.75 (7.25m), is seeded fourth in the 400 hurdles at 55.54.

Boone senior Tegan Bock is the top qualifier in the 400 hurdles at 54.23, with the top three entries all capable of running under 55 seconds. Bartels is the only athlete seeded in the top five of both hurdling competitions.

Johnson seeks breakthrough for Ballard

Shewaye Johnson of Ballard Community is one of the most inspirational stories of any student-athlete competing at the Drake Relays, making her debut at Jim Duncan Track after missing the opportunity to participate at the meet last year as a result of the pandemic.

The sophomore standout, who was born in Ethiopia and adopted by Justin Johnson and Heather Johnson from Huxley, has already won a 3A state cross country individual title and contributed to a pair of team championships.

But as the top entry in both the 1,500 and 3,000 meters, Johnson could produce another memorable victory for the Bombers by becoming the first female athlete in any event in program history to win at the Drake Relays.

Johnson has run 9:52.06 in the 3,000 – No. 3 all-time outdoors among Iowa sophomores – and 4:41.62 in the 1,500, which places her in the top 10 in Iowa prep history among 10th-grade competitors.

Although Johnson is a significant favorite in the 3,000, one of the best matchups of the high school schedule is in the 1,500, with former 4A state champion Ashlyn Keeney of Iowa City Liberty having run 4:41.74 this season, along with 4:32.98 in 2019.

Johnson is also expected to compete for Ballard on the 4x800 relay, which is scheduled in between the 3,000 and 1,500.

Mueller pursues memorable double

Adel-Desoto-Minburn senior Nate Mueller has been in contention for championships in several races during his career at Jim Duncan Track, both at the Iowa 3A state final, as well as the Drake Relays.

But after achieving multiple top-three finishes in significant track competitions, Mueller has the potential to achieve runaway victories in both the 1,600 and 3,200 meters Thursday.

Mueller enters the meet as the state leader in both events, producing a 9:13.86 effort April 9 in the 3,200, one month after running 4:15.03 in the 1,600.

There is an eight-second gap to Mueller’s closest competitor in the 1,600 and more than 15 seconds separating himself and the field in the 3,200.

Mueller is also scheduled to compete in the 4x800, with Adel-Desoto-Minburn having only run 8:11.14 to qualify for the meet.

Gable Sieperda of Central Lyon was the last male athlete to achieve the distance double, running 4:15.48 and 9:11.17 in 2018.

The evolution of Ainsley Erzen

Few athletes in the state demonstrated the range and versatility that Carlisle standout Ainsley Erzen showcased at the meet during her freshman year in 2019, placing second in the 400, third in the 1,500 and fourth in the 800, along with running the 4x400 relay.

Erzen, a junior, again is entered in four events, the same three individual races, along with the 800 sprint medley, seeking her first victory at Drake Relays.

She benefited from the experience of traveling to Arizona in June, competing in the Desert Dream Last Hurrah and placing second in the 800 meters against a national field and clocking 2:12.22. Her personal-best performance remains 2:11.16 from two years ago at Drake, and she is seeded more than two seconds faster than any of her competitors.

Iowa City Liberty’s Ashlyn Keeney has run a personal-best 2:09.99 in the 800, but the junior decided to focus on the 1,500 and 3,000 individually, along with being scheduled to run on the 4x800 and 800 sprint medley relays.

Going deep in the discus

The boys discus battle might be the deepest of any high school event on the schedule, with 10 athletes entered who have surpassed 160 feet this season.

Woodbine senior Lane Pryor and Pella senior Kody Huisman are the top entries, both having thrown beyond 170 feet this year. Huisman finished eighth at the 2019 meet, and is the only returning athlete from that competition, but has improved more than 10 feet since, producing an April 13 mark of 170-5 (51.94m).

Pryor will be making his Drake Relays debut, looking to secure the first boys discus championship for Woodbine in meet history.

New London junior Carter Allen, Ames senior Gabe Greenlee, Linn-Mar junior McKade Jelinek, Le Mars junior Brandon VanderSluis, Jesup junior Carson Lienau, South Hamilton junior Austin Busch, Muscatine junior Nolan Recker and Indianola junior Walker Whalen have all eclipsed 162 feet this season.

Waukee senior Matt Kapustka has been getting closer to joining the group of 160-foot competitors, including a 159-10 (48.71m) effort April 10 at Drake Stadium to secure his place Thursday in the top flight.

Giving it their best shot

One of the most anticipated field events Thursday is the girls shot put competition, with eight athletes scheduled to compete having surpassed the 40-foot mark this season.

Mount Pleasant junior Jadan Brumbaugh leads the group with a 44-1 (13.43m) performance April 15, followed closely by Creston senior Kelsey Fields at 43-11.50 (13.39m).

Humboldt senior Kendal Clark and Bishop Garrigan sophomore Audi Crooks have both surpassed 42 feet this year, with Underwood junior Zoe Rus, CAM High of Anita senior Molly Venteicher, Oskaloosa junior Faith DeRonde and Waukon senior Annika Headington also schedule to compete.

Following the graduation of the outstanding 2019 trio of Tipton’s Jamie Kofron, Waukee’s Kat Moody and South Hardin’s Brylie Zeisneiss, the opportunity will emerge for a new queen of the ring to be crowned at Drake, with none of the schools featuring a 40-foot competitor having ever produced a girls shot put champion in meet history.

Looking to reach new heights

The winning performance in each of the past four Drake Relays boys high jump competitions has been 6-9 (2.05m), the height that has also been achieved by the top two entries this season in Linn-Mar’s TJ Jackson and Treynor’s Noah James.

The clearance has become so familiar that the top two competitors in 2019 both cleared 6-9, with Sibley-Ocheyedan’s Grant Brouwer prevailing against Northeast’s Braeden Hoyer based on fewer attempts.

Jeff Giannettino, a three-time Drake Relays champion from West Burlington/Notre Dame, was the last high jump winner to soar above 6-9 at the meet, clearing 7-1 (2.15m) in 2015.

Since then, Xavior Williams of West Burlington/Notre Dame (2016), J’Von Harris of Oskaloosa (2017) and Miles Rupiper of Kuemper Catholic (2018) all triumphed with a 6-9 clearance.

Linn-Mar has not produced a boys high jump champion at the meet since 1990, with James looking to become the first winner from Treynor in the event in Drake Relays history.

North Polk junior Jack Noble has cleared 6-7.25 (2.01m) this season and could be a darkhorse challenger, along with Monticello senior Caden Ungs at 6-7 (2.00m).