The Drake Relays is the largest Relay meeting in the Midwest and has sold out for over three decades. The sponsor, Hy-Vee, is one of the largest supporters of track & field in North America. The events that they sponsor at the Drake Relays has added to the brand of the Relays. If you are in the Midwest, please purchase from Hy-Vee stores, as they have put their money where their mouth is-they actually sponsor our sport!
Kirani James and LaShawn Merritt duel at Drake Relays 2015, photo by PhotoRun.net
Drake Relays presented by Hy-Vee Announces High School Automatic Qualifying Standards
DES MOINES, Iowa - For the second-straight year, the Drake Relays presented by Hy-Vee has announced an exciting addition enhancing its already robust high school competition. Beginning in 2018, Iowa's top high school athletes can automatically qualify for the Drake Relays presented by Hy-Vee by achieving the Blue Standard times and marks in their respective events, Blake Boldon, the Franklin P. Johnson Director of the Relays announced Monday, Jan. 29.
"As a former Iowa high school athlete, I know that the Blue Standards would have changed my goals and how I approached my training to start each season," Boldon said. "I hope this announcement excites Iowa's top athletes to qualify for the Drake Relays presented by Hy-Vee and gives athletes like myself who never qualified for the Drake Relays clear goals for this year and beyond."
The addition of predetermined qualification standards will not change the entry process or field sizes for high school events. The Blue Standards were set by the Drake Relays committee based on historical data from the top 25 percent of accepted entries from past Drake Relays. For teams and athletes that do not attain a Blue Standard, the fields will be filled through the same protocol used in previous years.
"The Blue Standards will allow Iowa's top athletes to share their excitement with coaches, teammates, families and communities on the same day they attain their Blue Standard qualifying mark for the 2018 Drake Relays presented by Hy-Vee," Boldon added.
Boldon encourages those who achieve the Blue Standard to share their unique accomplishment on social media mentioning @DrakeRelays using the hashtags #MYDRAKERELAYS and #BLUEOVALBOUND.
The addition of the Blue Standards for automatic qualification continues Boldon's commitment to recognize and provide opportunities for Iowa's elite high school athletes. In his first year as the Franklin P. Johnson Director of the Relays, he added a section to both the boys' and girls' 400-meter hurdles to add additional opportunities for Iowans in a strong event.
The 109th edition of the Drake Relays presented by Hy-Vee is scheduled for April, 25-28, 2018 at Drake Stadium.
All-session tickets for the Drake Relays presented by Hy-Vee go on sale to the general public Tuesday, Jan. 30, at 9 a.m. Fans can secure their all-sessions tickets by calling the Drake Athletic Ticket office at 515-271-3647 or by visiting DrakeTix.com/Relays.
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Here's the PDF for the High School standards: 2018 Drake Relays HS Blue Standard info.pdf
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