The weekend’s best at the Drake Relays came after Saturday’s delay

DES MOINES — Prom dates were broken. Records were broken.

Such was life in a spectacular hour-long display to close the Drake Relays late Saturday.

A storm-induced delay of nearly three hours sent the majority of the crowd — and a few competitors — home. For most of those that stayed, it was worth it.

“I had prom tonight, and I’m going to miss that,” Cedar Rapids Prairie’s Jackson Johannes said. “But a school record (in the boys’ 1,600-meter relay) makes up for it.”

Western Dubuque’s Ava Goins was more direct:

“My date is a little bummed,” she said. “He can get over it.”

Drake officials suspended competition at 4:14 p.m., with six high school events remaining.

At about 6:45, the all-clear was announced, with competition resuming at 7:05.

“It was like, ‘Should we stay? Should we go?’ Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s Jacob Doyle said. ”We were sitting in the van when they announced that we could start warming up. We got loose fast.“

Western Dubuque’s girls and Kennedy’s boys were seeded sixth and eighth, respectively, in the 400-meter relay.

Both finished second.

“I’m so freaking proud of us,” the Bobcats’ Claire Stuntz said.

Added anchor Brynn Walters: “After they said it was delayed, we just chilled and got our mindset right. When we came back out, we were so excited.”

They ran that way. Western Dubuque ran in 47.94 seconds, just behind Waukee Northwest (47.89).

In the next race, Adel ADM set a Drake record in 41.38 seconds. Kennedy’s 41.79-second effort set a school mark.

“Our coach gave us a pep talk. He said we could break a school record,” Kennedy’s Dawson Dougherty said.

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After the storm passed, conditions were ideal for distance runners. West Des Moines Valley’s Addison Dorenkamp broke the Drake record in the girls’ 1,500, in 4:26.93, then Tony Anania of Norwalk did likewise in the boys’ 1,600 (4:06.54).

Western Dubuque’s Quentin Nauman was third, in 4:10.44.

Nauman jetted from the middle of the pack (with 500 meters to go) to the lead (with 300 remaining).

“I tried,” Nauman said. “It’s all right. It’s another school record. It was go-go-go. I had nothing to lose. It was good competition. It’s pretty cool.”

Pleasant Valley’s girls put a bow on a spectacular weekend (the Spartans won the Drake Cup) with a 1,600-meter relay title (3:51.51), then Cedar Falls won the boys’ 4x400 title in 3:16.74.

The 400-meter champion Friday, Johannes anchored Prairie to third in the boys’ race.

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“We have a freshman (Drew Bennis) who is insane,” Johannes said after the Hawks broke the school mark in 3:18.36. “Weston Koch is insane. Carson Nove is insane.”

So what does that make you, Jackson?

“I’m all right,” he said.

Ankeny was the boys’ Relays Cup champion.

Drake Relays: Saturday late results

Girls’ Relays Cup — 1. Pleasant Valley 28, 2. Waukee 21, 3. Waukee Northwest 18, 4. Johnston 17, 5. Pella Christian 10.

Boys’ Relays Cup — 1. Ankeny 23, 2. (tie) Cedar Falls and Iowa City West 16, 4. West Des Moines Dowling 13, 5. (tie) Adel ADM and Johnston 10.

Girls’ 400 relay — 1. Waukee Northwest (Winter, Stahl, Robinson, Caldwell), 47.89; 2. Western Dubuque, 47.94; 3. Johnston, 48.44; 4. Burlington, 48.80; 5. Sioux City East, 48.88; 6. Waukee, 48.95; 7. MOC-Floyd Valley, 49.01.

Boys’ 400 relay — 1. Adel ADM (Flora, Gelhaar, Lohmann, Doll), 41.38 (Drake record); 2. Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 41.79; 3. Iowa City West, 41.86; 4. Ankeny, 41.92; 5. Ankeny Centennial, 42.13; 6. Waukee, 42.26; 7. Cedar Rapids Prairie, 42.44.

Girls’ 1,500 — 1. Addison Dorenkamp (West Des Moines Valley), 4:26.93 (Drake record); 2. Ani Wedemeyer (Pleasant Valley), 4:30.88; 3. Marissa Ferebee (Pella), 4:31.72; 4. Julia Gehl (Dubuque Hempstead), 4:35.64; 5. Noelle Steines (Tipton), 4:37.28; 6. Keelee Leitzen (Dubuque Hempstead), 4:39.72; 7. Lili Denton (Council Bluffs St. Albert), 4:40.19; 8. Piper Messerly (Dallas Center-Grimes), 4:41.36.

Boys’ 1,600 — 1. Tony Anania (Norwalk), 4:06.54 (Drake record); 2. Ethan Zuber (Ankeny), 4:09.49; 3. Quentin Nauman (Western Dubuque), 4:10.44; 4. Max DeRocher (West Des Moines Dowling), 4:10.89; 5. Carl Rekow (Pleasant Valley), 4:13.61; 6. Moustafa Tiea (Iowa City West), 4:14.02; 7. Natnael Kifle (Sioux City North), 4:14.03; 8. Canaan Dunham (Pella), 4:14.32.

Girls’ 1,600 relay — 1. Pleasant Valley (Clemons, Wedemeyer, Johnson, Boleyn), 3:51.51; 2. Waukee, 3:53.60; 3. Pella Christian, 3:53.87; 4. Waukee Northwest, 3:54.53; 5. Dubuque Wahlert, 3:54.86; 6. Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 3:56.68; 7. Southeast Polk, 3:57.56; 8. Adel ADM, 3:58.22.

Boys’ 1,600 relay — 1. Cedar Falls (Russell, Schreiber, Steege, Townsend), 3:16.74; 2. South Hamilton, 3:17.13; 3. Cedar Rapids Prairie, 3:18.36; 4. Ballard, 3:19.41; 5. Waukee Northwest, 3:19.88; 6. Johnston, 3:20.56; 7. Newton, 3:22.19; 8. Dubuque Senior, 3:22.53.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com