Winkler Smashes Meet and Facility Record While Throwing World No. 2; Nebraska's Steinforth and Strachan Earn Victories in Meet Record Fashion; Nauman Closes Final 400 in 55.75 To Break Boys 3,200 Meet Record

By Keenan Gray of DyeStat

Lily Dozier and Caroline Larson photos

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DES MOINES, Iowa – Four meet records fell on the second day of action from the 115th Drake Relays, highlighted by Rudy Winkler throwing the second-best mark in the world so far this year in men’s hammer on Thursday at Drake Stadium.

Winkler launched the hammer three times over 80 meters, including his best of 81.08 meters (266-0), to not only shatter the meet record of 75.53m (247-10) set by Angelos Mantzouranis at the 2024 meet, but also best the facility record of 78.13m (246-4) by Conor McCullough at the 2019 USATF Outdoor Championships.

“This was the most consistent series,” Winkler said. “Best meet since the Trials.”

Winkler, who owns the American record at 82.71m (271-4), opened at 72.86m (239-0), followed by three consecutive 80 meters throws, with his best throw coming at the end of preliminary round. Winkler had one fair throw in finals, throwing 80.76m (264-11).

“I’ve been training really well,” Winkler said. “My opener was last week. I threw like 78 (meters). That was definitely below what I was expecting, so then this week I definitely knew 80 was in the cards with how much training has been going.”

Minnesota’s Kosta Zaltos also surpassed the meet record, finishing second. Zaltos, aiming to win a fourth consecutive Big Ten hammer title in a few weeks at Hayward Field, threw 76.26m (250-2). His teammate and defending Drake Relays champion Mantzouranis placed third with a throw of 75.71m (248-4), going over his own meet record.

Canadian Rowan Hamilton, last spring’s NCAA hammer champion for California, took fourth, throwing 74.58m (244-8).

Nebraska teammates Till Steinforth and Keyshawn Strachan set meet records of their own to give the Cornhuskers two wins on the day.

Steinforth, who earned bronze in the heptathlon for Germany at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, broke a 29-year-old meet record in the men’s decathlon, scoring 8,265 points to defend his Drake Relays title. His score is also the highest in the world so far this season.

“It’s great to be a part of such great history,” Steinforth said. “I’m proud I was able to achieve such a high score early in the year after some major competitions. So, just proud to be back here, break the record and get a good score in. I think there’s a lot more to come, so looking forward to that.”

Kip Janvrin held the previous meet record, scoring 8,198 points at the 1996 meet. Steinforth was 30 points shy of the facility record of 8,295 points owned by Devin Williams. Janvrin, an assistant coach at Kansas State, is coaching in the meet this weekend.

Steinforth only won one event on the final day of the decathlon, running 14.09 seconds in the 110 meter hurdles. Steinforth won four of five events on the first day.

Strachan won the men’s javelin with a second-round throw of 81.01m (265-9), surpassing Arthur Petersen’s 2024 meet record of 79.73m (261-7).

American Curtis Thompson, who began the year throwing 87.76 (287-11) at the Texas Relays, finished second, throwing 80.88 (265-4).

Brooke Andersen, 2022 world hammer champion for the United States, won the women’s competition with a second-round throw of 75.28m (247-0).

Current world leader, American Rachel Richeson, was second, throwing 72.76m (238-8). Paris Olympics silver medalist, American Annette Echikunwoke, finished third, throwing 72.23m (236-11).

Jordan Gray, American record holder in the women's decathlon representing Multistars Inc., scored 5,517 points to win the women's heptathlon by 256 points. Wisconsin's Shaina Zinter, the reigning Big Ten outdoor champion, was the collegian, scoring 5,261 points.

American Daniel Michalski outlasted the men's open 3,000 steeplechase field in a winning effort of 8:27.81.

Iowa State's Kiki Connell ran a personal best 10:16.83 to take the win in the women's open 3,000 steeplechase. 

Gonzaga's Rosina Machu-Shuri cruised to victory in the women's open 5,000, running 15:54.97.

Kaitlin Bounds, an autistic U.S. Paralympian from the Paris Games, set a new T20 world record in the women’s 5,000 unseeded open, running 17:10.74 to lower the previous best of 17:17.30. 

South Dakota State's Carson Noecker out kicked both Minnesota's Nolan Sutter and Sam Scott to win the men's open 5,000 in 14:12.40.

Tulane's Blezzin Kimutai, racing her first 10,000 on the track, won the women's invitational section in 34:06.66.

Blake Whalen, running unattached, won the men's 10,000 in 30:13.66. Caleb Shumaker of Northern Iowa ran 30:19.98 to finish second, earning top collegian honors.

A pair of NAIA leading times highlighted the only relay event of the day in the 4x800.

Dordt (Iowa) won the women's college race in 9:02.33; Cornerstone (Mich.) ran 7:31.29 to hold Iowa Central Community College in the men's college race.

Nauman Opens Up Monster Kick To Win Boys 3,200

To get Quentin Nauman into Iowa's top-three all-time prep list in the boys 3,200, an insanely fast final lap was needed.

The Epworth Western Dubuque closed his 400 in 55.75 seconds to run 8:52.45 to break the meet record in the 3,200, moving him to No. 3 on the all-time Iowa prep list.

Nauman ran 4:28.51 for his first 1,600, then closed in 4:23.94 in the second half that was carried by his late heroics.

Pella's Canaan Dunham and Ankeny's Ethan Zuber joined Nauman under nine minutes, with Dunham running 8:56.11 for second and Zuber running 8:59.60 for third.

Defending champion Jaden Merrick of Cedar Falls, who held the meet record in 8:55.14, finished fourth in 9:02.74.

Freshman Charlee Gall of Cedar Falls won the girls 3,000, running 9:44.19 to win by six seconds in a strong field featuring five other girls under 10 minutes. Nike Cross Nationals All-American Marissa Ferebee finished sixth overall in 9:58.94.

Tyson Seeser of Camanche repeated as the boys high jump champion with a clearance of 7 feet, becoming the 12th Iowa prep in history to surpass that height.

Delilah Subsin of Ottumwa dethroned defending two-time champion Charlee Morton of Hampton-Dumont-Cal in the girls discus, throwing a personal best 156-9, good for seventh best all-time in Iowa high school history.

Reese Brownlee of Clear Lake took home her second consecutive Drake Relays title in the girls long jump with a mark of 18-10.

Landon Prince of Clear Creek-Amana threw a fifth-round throw 61-10.75 to win the boys shot put title by nearly three feet.

Micah LeLaChuer of Valley West Des Moines used a fifth-round jump of 22-10 to overtake T.Y. Pour of Prairie Cedar Rapids by three-quarters-of-an-inch in finals to claim victory in the boys long jump.