Iowa State’s Cam Jones, Dana Feyen, men’s 3,200-meter relay team win Drake Relays titles Friday

DES MOINES — Cam Jones already owns Iowa State’s indoor and outdoor records in the shot put.

Friday night, he added a Drake Relays title to his long list of honors.

Jones — a former Cedar Rapids Kennedy prep — won the championship flight in the event, delivering a top throw of 19.75 meters.

“It was a good performance, a good day,” Jones said. “Just keep building forward for conference, regionals, nationals, so a good spot to be.”

The Cyclones’ Dana Feyen found herself in an enviable spot late Thursday night, as well — atop the medal stand after winning the 10,000-meter run.

Feyen strode across the stripe in 33:51.54, beating second-place Chloe Hershenow of Tulsa by more than 25 seconds.

“The Drake Relays is something that the whole state of Iowa gets excited about,” said Feyen, whose time qualified her for next month’s West Regional of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. “My parents were able to come, which was fun, and my teammates Taylor (Briggs) and Brenna (Cohoon) helped pace the race, so it was really great just being out there with them. hose girls are like my sisters and I’m so thankful that they were willing to help me out.”

Feyen gave the Cyclone their first Drake Relays title in the women’s 10,000. She settled into the lead pack early and eventually swept past Hershenow in the final laps to secure the satisfying triumph in her outdoor season debut.

“Something I enjoy about running in general is the opportunity to challenge myself and the 10K is a challenge,” the Galesville, Wis., native said. “I also think people are naturally inclined to enjoy things that they’re good at and I’m well suited for the longer events.”

Iowa’s James Carter, Jr. also shined during Friday’s rain-altered events, capturing the Drake Relays crown in the championship flight of the triple jump. Carter — who competed unattached and was not immediately available for interviews after the event — soared 16.05 meters to win his third career Relays title.

Former Cedar Rapids Prairie standout Jessica Heims won the women’s Paralympic discus, recording a top throw of 34.99 meters. She’s a two-time Paralympian for Team USA.

Iowa State struck Relays gold again Friday night when the men’s 3,200-meter relay team of Devan Kipyego, Emanuel Galdino, Tyler Carreon and Peter Smith won that race by nearly 10 seconds. The Cyclones have won the event in five of the past six Drake Relays. The only hiccup? Losing to Nebraska on the famous blue oval last April.

“We got one back after last year, you know?” Galdino said. “Keep on pushing. We have a great team.”

ISU led from start to finish and clocked in at 7:22.53.

“We were listening to our teammates yelling for us,” Carreon said. “Because without them, running out there without anything in front of you, it can be pretty difficult.”

Jones also enjoyed plenty of support as he unleashed his winning throw on his penultimate attempt early Friday evening.

“We’re really not supposed to peak until regionals, so it’s good that I‘m hitting big numbers now and feeling good because we know there’s a lot more there,” he said. “Just stay consistent, know what we can do, and not try to do too much and try to make things happen. Just let ‘em come to you.”

Friday’s Drake Relays college and university notes

• Iowa State took second in the women’s 6,400-meter relay, finishing behind record-setting Notre Dame. The Cyclones’ quartet of Maelle Porcher, Bella Heikes, Ashlyn Keeney and Janette Schraft finished in 19:06.26. The Fighting Irish foursome shattered a Relays record by clocking in at 18:44.15 — almost 14 seconds better than the previous benchmark in the event.

• Drake’s 6,400-meter relay men’s team of Connor Visnic, Aidan Ramsey, Juan Trasobares, and Aidan Simon didn’t set a record pace, but the Bulldogs did narrowly miss attaining the school’s first Relays win in a relay event since 1968. Drake finished the race in 16:50.87 — a mere 0.3 seconds behind first-place Gonzaga.

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