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Drake Relays tweaks prep events schedule

With the 2017 Drake Relays just more than a month away, first-year director Blake Bolden announced a series of changes to their year’s schedule and competition Wednesday in a news conference.

Highlighting a series of changes and tweaks to this year’s Relays, which will be held April 26-29, will be the transfer of the boys’ 3,200-meter run and the girls’ 3,000 from Thursday afternoon to Thursday night. The move places the high school races after the men’s university and college division 800 run, starting with the 3,000.

“We [want] to allow all the track and field fans in central Iowa to see Iowa’s best distance runners at the Blue Oval,” Bolden said.

Bolden noted the change will enhance the Thursday evening distance carnival, which features the longest races in the sport — the 10,000, 5,000, distance medleys, 800s and now the 3,200 and 3,000 — while trying to keep high school athletes from missing class time during the afternoon.

The 3,000 is scheduled for 6:10 on April 27, with the boys’ 3,200 immediately after at 6:25 p.m.

With the change in scheduling for the high school distance runners, Bolden also said there will be 16 additional openings for the boys’ and girls’ in the 400 hurdles. The Relays will be adding another section to each the boys’ and girls’ 400 hurdles, allowing those spots to open up.

“It’s an event that’s quickly evolving as one of the top events and we’re excited to add those athletes,” Bolden said.

Bolden also showed he is sticking to his word about wanting to continue enhancing the fan experience with the return of the pole vault competition at Capital Square, taking place April 26.

The Capital Square Vault was a highlight of the 2016 Drake Relays, after it was moved from its outdoor location on Court Avenue in 2015. It was the first time the vault moved back indoors since consecutive years of having the event at Jordan Creek Mall.

“It’s a wonderful venue and anybody that’s seen that event there last year, that’s seen athletes invert themselves over 19 feet on the men’s side…or 16 feet on the women’s side, to be able to do that almost literally an arm’s reach away, is an extraordinary and exciting opportunity,” Bolden said. “We’re excited to bring that back and highlight the two best athletes in that event.”

Headlining this year’s spectacle vault event will be two 2016 Rio Olympic Games medalists. The women’s field will feature Sandi Morris, who was a silver medalist in the pole vault at the Rio Games, while nabbing the 2016 USA Olympic Trials title. She also set the NCAA Indoor record in the event at 15 feet, 1 inch in 2015. Her height is second all-time through 2016 results.

For the men, they’ll compete against Sam Kendricks, the Rio Games’ bronze medalist and USA Olympic Trials champion. He’s a two-time NCAA Outdoor champion as well as the 2015 USA Championships gold medalist.

In last year’s Drake Relays, 20 professional athletes went on to win medals at the Rio Olympic Games, while 10 of them were gold medal winners. Bolden hopes to continue a stout professional field with the addition of Elite Invitational events this year.

On Friday night, the men will have an opportunity to compete in the 400 dash, 400 hurdles and triple jump, while women will battle in the 1,500, pole vault and shot put. On Saturday, there will be a men’s 1,500, 110 hurdles, high jump and pole vault, while the women will take a shot at the long jump, 400 hurdles and 100 hurdles.

As the field meshes high school, college and professional athletes into one alluring showcase, Bolden announced universities such as Ohio State, Oklahoma State and Illinois will be among those colleges competing in this year’s field.

The Grand Blue Mile, which is the opening event to the Drake Relays week on Tuesday, will serve as the U.S. Road Mile Championship. Last year’s female winner, Heather Kampf, set a course record in 4 minutes, 32.62 seconds at the Medtronic TC 1 Mile in Minneapolis, and will return to defend her title in the event she’s won three-straight times. She’ll be seeking her fifth Grand Blue Mile title as well.

On the men’s side, Chad Noelle, the 2016 Grand Blue Mile, will return as well, exactly one year after making his professional debut. Noelle was eighth at last year’s Road Mile championship, finishing in 4:04.8.

Tickets for this year’s Relays are already available online at Drake Tix.com, by visiting the Drake Athletic Ticket Office or by calling 515-271-3647.

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