Hawkeyes Sweep 2026 Drake Relays Cups

DES MOINES, Iowa – University of Iowa track and field swept the team titles at the 2026 Drake Relays on Saturday afternoon.

Iowa’s men finished with 40 points, while the women scored 37 en route to their Drake Relays Cup titles. Combined, the Hawkeyes won six of the 10 scored relays.

“Today was an amazing day for the Hawkeyes,” said Iowa Director of Track and Field Joey Woody. “We capped the weekend with tremendous performances and came away with both the men’s and women’s Drake Relays Cups. It was a fun weekend for our team to showcase our program in front of the great Drake Relays crowd.”

The women’s team has now won back-to-back Drake Relays Cup titles, while the men are winners for the first time since 2022.

The Hawkeyes took both titles in the 100 meters with home-state talents Holly Duax and Kalen Walker capturing flags. Duax won the women’s sprint in 11.52, while Walker won his first Drake Relays flag in 10.30. Iowa cruised to wins in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Blake Nyenati, Jordan Gross, Jaylin Holmes and David Akhalu passed the stick in 39.72 to win the men’s 4x100. The women’s group of Jailya Ash, Alexandria Edison, Alivia Williams and Holly Duax updated the program’s record book with a 44.04 to climb to third all-time at Iowa.

“Holly had a tremendous weekend, winning three flags in the span of about two hours which was so impressive,” Woody noted. “It was great to see Kalen win the first flag of his career, which was a big goal for him being an Iowa prep and never winning one until today. He is in a very good place off of three great 100-meter races this week.”

In the 4x400 relays, Iowa’s quartet of Damaris Mutunga, Olicia Lucas, Gabby Cortez and Chioma Nwachukwu flew to a 3:31.05 finish, which marked the sixth-fastest time in school history. The men’s quad of Tyrese Miller, Landon Fontenot, Prior Ochonogor and Terrick Johnson sealed the victory in 3:05.25.

Iowa’s sprint medley group of Duax, Williams, Mutunga and Leanna Lewis won another relay title and scored 10 crucial points. The win came in 3:44.68 and landed the quartet second on Iowa’s all-time list. 

“We capped the weekend by winning both the men’s and women’s 100 meters, 4x100 relays, 4x400 relays and the women’s sprint medley for the second year in a row,” added Woody.

The Hawkeyes’ men’s team produced silver-medal finishes in the shuttle hurdle and sprint medley. Nyenati led the men’s shuttle hurdle unit before giving way to Tyler Kenaga, Sal Capaldo and Vaughn DeVaughn III to complete a school-record performance. The foursome ran 56.25 to stand alone as Iowa’s program best. Gross, Akhalu, Austin Rowswell and Caleb Levy teamed up to run a 3:17.38 in the sprint medley to move to fourth in the school’s record book. 

Iowa scored points in the distance medley, as well. Rosemary Arthur, Arianna Williams, Clare Kelly and Jalyssa Blazek raced to an 11:25.10 finish and grabbed two points, while running the fourth-fastest time in school history. On the men’s side, Owen Wolfe, Jackson Johannes, Derek Leicht and Carson Lane picked up a pair of points with a seventh-place finish. The group set Iowa’s fifth-best time in 9:47.50.

In the field, Iowa performed well in the hammer throw competitions. Freshman Josephine Flynt continued to climb the ranks on the women’s all-time list placing second overall at 59.45 meters in the university division. Her new lifetime best is 7th at Iowa. In the women’s hammer throw championship, Peyton Wilson claimed seventh with a 59.18-meter mark. 

“Josephine and Peyton both had great competitions in the hammer throw today with Josephine finishing second in the university division,” said Woody. “She’s made huge improvements in just the last two weeks. Peyton continues to push the 60-meter line and is really putting things together at the right time.”

Sean Smith and Austin Busch competed well in the men’s championship, finishing fifth and seventh, respectively. Smith capped his day at 65.90 meters, while Busch wrapped up his afternoon at 62.28 meters. 

“We have some great momentum going into the next few weeks and the championship part of our season,” Woody concluded. “I’m very proud of how this team competed in every event on the track and in the field. We took advantage of the great competition and amazing weather this weekend. Both teams made huge improvements.”

Up Next: Iowa hosts the Musco Twilight at the Francis X. Cretzmeyer Track in Coralville May 1-2.

HAWKEYE RESULTS 
Men’s 100 Meters Finals
1. Kalen Walker - 10.30
2. Jordan Gross - 10.48

Women’s 100 Meters Finals
1. Holly Duax - 11.52
8. Alexandria Edison - 12.09

Men’s 110-Meter Hurdles Finals
3. Vaughn DeVaughn III - 13.84
6. Blake Nyenati - 13.94

Men’s 4x110-Meter Shuttle Hurdles
2. Nyenati, Kenaga, Capaldo, DeVaughn III - 56.25, 1st at Iowa

Men’s 4x100 Relay Finals
1. Nyenati, Gross, Holmes, Akhalu - 39.72

Women’s 4x100 Relay Finals
1. Ash, Edison, Williams, Duax - 44.04, 3rd at Iowa

Men’s 4x400 Relay Invite
1. Miller, Fontenot, Ochonogor, Johnson - 3:05.25

Women’s 4x400 Relay Invite
1. Mutunga, Lucas, Cortez, Nwachukwu - 3:31.05, 6th at Iowa

Women’s 4x400 Relay University
1. Frandsen, Zahn, Lyons, Uche - 3:36.36

Men’s 4x400 Relay University
2. DeVaughn III, Schreiner, Holmes, Leicht - 3:12.35

Men’s Distance Medley University
7. Wolfe, Johannes, Leicht, Lane - 9:47.40, 5th at Iowa

Women’s Distance Medley University
7. Arthur, Ar. Williams, Kelly, Blazek - 11:25.10, 4th at Iowa

Men’s Sprint Medley
2. Gross, Akhalu, Rowswell, Levy - 3:17.38, 4th at Iowa

Women’s Sprint Medley
1. Duax, Al. Williams, Mutunga, Lewis - 3:44.68, 2nd at Iowa

Men’s Hammer Throw Championship
5. Sean Smith - 65.90 meters (216’ 2”)
7. Austin Busch - 62.28 meters (204’ 4”)

Women’s Hammer Throw
2. Josephine Flynt - 59.45 meters (195’ 0”), PR + 7th at Iowa

Women’s Hammer Throw Championship
7. Peyton Wilson - 59.18 meters (194’ 2”)

Men’s Long Jump
18. Sal Capaldo - 6.63 meters (21’ 9”)