The Drake Relays are finally here, and Missouri track & field is more than ready to take on some tough competition. This event has been a long-standing tradition known as “America’s Athletic Classic,” drawing thousands of spectators for a weekly special.
Mizzou will hit the ground running Wednesday through Saturday, April 22-25th, in Des Moines, Iowa. The Tigers’ distance runners are more than ready for the competition, and the field athletes will look to make their marks as well.
“I’m excited for
Drake,” assistant coach Kyle Levermore said. “Yeah, it’s, it’s fun to go to a meet with that type of tradition. I’m an East Coast guy, so Penn Relays are kind of like my first thought there, but oh yeah, I’ve been to Drake one time, and I really thought the atmosphere was fun.”
A Little Bit about Drake Stadium
With the Tigers having a positive attitude going into this upcoming meet, there is lots to unpack about this course in specific.
Drake Stadium is one of the top track and field venues in the country, thanks to a major $15 million renovation completed in 2005. The upgrades included a wider, Mondo-surfaced track, improved seating and facilities, a modern video board, permanent lighting and a FieldTurf infield used for multiple sports. With a capacity of 14,557, the stadium regularly hosts elite competitions.
Best known as the home of the upcoming Drake Relays, the venue draws large crowds every April, and has become the centerpiece of Drake University.
Beyond the Relays, it has hosted major events like the USA Track & Field Championships and multiple NCAA championship meets, as well as AAU Junior Olympics and Iowa high school state championships.
More Information on Drake Stadium: https://godrakebulldogs.com/facilities/drake-stadium/3
Meet Schedule for the Tigers
Wednesday and Thursday’s Schedule
The first day of events for the Tigers will start with the heptathlon and decathlon races. Later in the evening, there will be the men’s world shot put series, where athletes such as Chase Crawford, Clayton Kamp and Sam Albert will hopefully compete in.
As for Thursday, this will consist of more early morning decathlon and heptathlon races, with unseeded 1,500m and 800m races for the women and men. This will give the fans a chance to hopefully see a lot of Mizzou’s distance squad members such as Brianna Lee, Morgan Yeomans, Allison Newman and Joseph Bariola.
Friday’s Schedule
Friday’s collegiate action at the Drake Relays features a mix of prelims and finals across both track and field.
On the track, the day starts with 4×1600 relays, followed by hurdle and 4×100 prelims. This will hopefully be a good opportunity for us to catch Robert Hines and Dillon Leacock in the flesh. Midday highlights include 800-meter and 400-meter hurdles finals.
Next will be the 100-meter, which Hines will hopefully attack, and the 4×400 relay prelims. The night session brings championship racing, with finals in the 400 meters, sprint medley, 1500 meters, 4×800 relays, and 4×200 relays.
“If you watch us compete, like we were winning a lot of races,” Levermore said. “It was very evident in Boston when Ryder and Tyler both kind of took the race into their own hands and left everyone in their dust.”
In the field, finals run throughout the day, including triple jump, discus, shot put, pole vault, and high jump. This will give a chance for athletes such as Skylar Ciccolini, Valentina Barrios Bornacelli, Ames Burton, Sam Innes and more a chance to compete. Championship divisions in several events later in the day will add another layer of elite competition.
Saturday’s Schedule
As for Saturday, it will bring a championship-heavy schedule, beginning with distance medley relays in the morning, including races featuring Iowa programs and top collegiate fields. By midday, finals dominate the track, with shuttle hurdle relays, open 100-meter dashes, and hurdle finals determining champions.
The afternoon session will showcase the sprint medley relays, 4×100 relay finals, and the prestigious invitational 4×400 relays. The meet concludes with the 4×400 relay finals, where teams will make one final push for Drake Relays titles in front of a packed crowd.
Tentative Schedule Link: https://godrakebulldogs.com/documents/2026/3/17/Tentatitive_Schedule_3.17_indd.pdf
Weather Forecast
Wednesday will be mostly sunny and breezy, while Thursday consists of wind and shattered thunderstorms. Friday looks a bit breezy, with clouds early before clearing, as northwest winds of around 10–20 mph could impact sprint and hurdle events, especially on the straightaways. As for Saturday, there will be cooler conditions, with partly cloudy skies and a slight chance of rain. Overall, the conditions seem to be solid, but the win might affect some performances.
Where to Watch
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday’s events will be broadcasted on runnerspace.com and available on an event-by-event basis at https://www.pttiming.com/event/2846.
Weather conditions and other meet information: https://www.kcci.com/article/drake-relays-2026-schedule-tickets-visitor-guide-des-moines-drake-stadium/71006193
Highlights from Bryan Clay Invite and Big Red Classic
Opening Day at Bryan Clay
The Tigers opened competition at the Bryan Clay Invitational on Thursday night at the Cougar Athletic Stadium with strong performances in the 10,000 meters.
On the women’s side, Monica Wanjiku led the Tigers with a 5th-place finish in 32:28.20. Mirriam Chepkirui followed with a personal best of 34:21.83, placing 17th and moving into 10th on Missouri’s all-time list after shaving more than three seconds off her previous best.
For the men, Drew Rogers ran 28:47.49 to finish 9th, marking his second career sub-29-minute 10K.
Day One Big Red Classic
Missouri did the same during day one at the Big Red Classic, highlighted by wins in both 800-meter races.
Lee won the women’s 800m in 2:13.04, with Yeomans taking second. On the men’s side, Bariola claimed victory in 1:55.91, followed by River Hardman in second at 1:56.02.
Robert Hines added a runner-up finish in the 200m, while Sam Innes led the hammer throw group with a second-place mark of 68.95m. Petra Gombas took seventh and Reagan Kimrey claimed ninth, with solid hammer performances on the women’s side.
In the javelin, Valentina Barrios placed third with Skylar Ciccolini fourth, rounding out a strong all-around opening day for Mizzou.
Last day at Bryan Clay
During the final day of the Bryan Clay Invite, Kobi Walk took fourth in the women’s 5,000m and Suzy Lecoutre claimed 13th overall. Both of these results were top-10 Mizzou program records, which is astonishing in itself.
Final Day at Big Red
The Big Red Classic had its final day with a huge highlight from senior Allison Newman in the 1,500m.
Newman won the women’s 1,500m race with a new personal record of 4:30.45. Elissa Barnard took sixth, while Natalie Barnard claimed eighth, with all of them in the top-10 spots of the race.
For the men, Elijah Limo and Joshua Allison claimed second and third in the men’s 1,500m, while Chase Crawford took eight in the men’s shot put.
What This all Means
There will be a huge field of different collegiate teams set to race during the upcoming meet, with notable schools such as Tennessee, Nebraska, Minnesota, all of which are ranked inside the top-20 on both the men and women’s side.
That being said, Missouri enters the competition ranked No. 42 on the women’s side and No. 82 on the men’s side, looking to close the gap against these top competitors. With notable athletes for Mizzou in the women’s javelin and distance runners combined, the Tigers will take their chances and have some fun in Iowa.
USTFCCCA Rankings: https://web4.ustfccca.org/iz/tfri/collection/17424
To read more about Missouri’s Track and Field team, follow @Rock MNation and @SophBleedsLA on twitter/X.
