Wedemeyer, Johnson, Mowen and Boleyn run 9:01.47 in 4x800, with Spartans adding 3;51.51 effort to secure 4x400; ADM achieves 41.38 in boys 4x100, Ankeny takes down boys 4x800 mark in 7:39.54, with Dorenkamp adding 1,500 crown in 4:26.93 and Anania clocking 4:06.54 in 1,600 

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Ava Kitzi and Lily Dozier photos

DES MOINES, Iowa – For those athletes, coaches and spectators who decided to leave Drake Stadium and not return at the outset of a nearly three-hour weather delay Saturday afternoon at the 114th Drake Relays Presented by Xtream and Powered by Mediacom, they had already been treated to an Iowa state record in the girls 4x800-meter relay, the fastest boys 4x800 performance in meet history and another all-time mark in the boys 4x100 relay prelims.

For the loyal, dedicated and passionate group that chose to return to Jim Duncan Track later in the evening, they were able to witness perhaps the most remarkable final hour of high school competition ever showcased at the Blue Oval.

RESULTS | EVENT VIDEOS | INTERVIEWS | AVA KITZI PHOTOS | LILY DOZIER PHOTOS

Addison Dorenkamp of West Des Moines Valley, Tony Anania from Norwalk and the boys 4x100 relay quartet from Adel-DeSoto-Minburn all produced meet records in three consecutive races, with the Pleasant Valley girls 4x400 and Cedar Falls boys 4x400 nearly adding two additional all-time marks under the lights to cap an exceptional showcase at “America’s Athletic Classic.”

Dorenkamp, who already achieved the Iowa all-time high school performance in the 3,000 meters Thursday with her 9:23.69 effort, nearly set another state record in the 1,500 final, running 4:26.93 for the No. 2 mark behind only former Sioux City East star Shelby Houlihan, who clocked 4:26.39 in 2011.

Dorenkamp, who became the fifth female athlete in meet history to win both the 1,500 and 3,000 titles in the same year, also smashed the 2010 meet record of 4:28.30 set by former Dowling Catholic standout Katie Flood.

Anania, a first-year track athlete and accomplished basketball player for the Warriors, had already competed in the 800 and 3,200, in addition to competing as the anchor leg on the 1,600 medley relay for Norwalk.

But in his fourth event of the meet, Anania not only earned his first Drake Relays victory, but broke the 1,600 meet record by running 4:06.54, taking down the 2014 standard of 4:10.76 produced by Josh Evans from Linn-Mar.

Anania also placed second in the 800 in 1:53.86, fifth in the 3,200 in 9:07.79 and contributed to the Warriors securing sixth in the 1,600 medley relay in 3:34.22.

Following a 41.70 effort from Ankeny during the 4x100 prelims Saturday morning, which lowered the meet record of 41.71 posted by Cedar Rapids Washington last year, Adel-DeSoto-Minburn not only triumphed in the final, but Aiden Flora, Tyler Gelhaar, Zach Lohmann and Brevin Doll ran 41.38 to elevate to the No. 2 program in state history.

Only the 41.33 performance achieved in 1996 by City High of Iowa City is faster than the victorious ADM quartet.

One state record was not only broken Saturday, but Pleasant Valley High did so in extraordinary fashion in the girls 4x800 relay.

Ani Wedemeyer, Aerielle Johnson, Kaylee Mowen and Grace Boleyn ran 9:01.47 to captivate the Drake Stadium crowd, taking down the 2001 state record of 9:09.09 established by Iowa City West.

Wedemeyer, a City High of Iowa City transfer who also won the 800 in a personal-best 2:09.31 and placed second behind Dorenkamp in the 1,500 final in 4:30.88, led off for Pleasant Valley and never relinquished control, with Boleyn anchoring with a 2:10.88 split for the Spartans.

Boleyn, Johnson and Wedemeyer returned to compete in the 4x400 for Pleasant Valley, joining Jessie Clemons to clock 3:51.51, matching the No. 5 program in state history and clinching the Spartans winning the Relays Cup for combined points across five relay events during the meet.

The oldest meet record in any relay was finally broken, with Ankeny’s Nick Robbie, Ike Smith, Jake Bosch and Ethan Zuber securing victory in the boys 4x800 relay in 7:39.54, becoming only the third program in state history to produce a sub-7:40 performance.

Ankeny, who also achieved the Relays Cup for success in the boys team competition, eclipsed the 1985 all-time Drake Relays effort of 7:45.63 by Marshalltown High.

After Tyler Kenaga joined Jarrett Kies, Max Mills and Rece Thola to help Cedar Falls prevail in the boys 4x110-meter shuttle hurdles relay in 57.89, the Tigers helped the senior capture an additional Drake Relays championship Saturday in the 4x400 relay in 3:16.74, just off their own meet record of 3:16.67 from 2021.

Hunter Russell, Jaxon Schreiber and Jordan Townsend joined Kenaga on the 4x400 quartet for Cedar Falls, which prevailed in the last section of a timed final format after another weather delay resulted in the prelim races Friday being shifted toward three races to determine a champion Saturday.  

Waukee Northwest became the first girls program since Cedar Rapids Jefferson in 2015-16 to win the 4x100 and 4x200 in the same year, with Avery Winter, Katie Stahl, Ayrissa Robinson and Keziah Caldwell prevailing by a 47.89 to 47.94 margin in the 4x100 relay against Western Dubuque.

Dowling Catholic repeated in the girls 4x100 shuttle hurdles relay, with Annie Smith, Ruby Leman, Alex Gaskell and Franny Brooks clocking 1:01.43.

Reese Brownlee, a junior at Clear Lake, added a girls 400-meter hurdles championship to her victory in the long jump, running a personal-best 1:00.75, with Eden Moore from Van Meter placing runner-up in 1:02.55.

Aidan Jacobsen of Iowa City West led four athletes to sub-53 efforts in the boys 400 hurdles, holding off Ryce Reynolds of Mount Ayr with a 52.03 to 52.09 victory.