Epworth Western Dubuque Junior Accomplishes Unlikely Distance Sweep In Span Of 72 Hours With Win In 1,600

By Keenan Gray of DyeStat

Lily Dozier photo

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DES MOINES, Iowa - If Quentin Nauman wasn't an Iowa legend already heading into Drake Relays week, he is now.

The Epworth Western Dubuque IA junior, who's verbally committed to the University of Oregon, achieved one of the most unlikely feats in meet history on Saturday at Drake Stadium, becoming the first high school boy in meet history to win all three individual distance events in a span of three days.

"Me and my coach said leave it all out there," Nauman said. "It's the last race, you have nothing to lose, nothing to save, everything you got."

Nauman won the boys 1,600 meters in a personal best 4 minutes, 5.17 seconds to go with his wins in the 3,200 on Thursday and the 800 on Friday. All three were come-from-behind wins, too.

Nauman trailed by as much as sixth place before going on to close his second half of the race in 1:55.91, featuring a 56.24 split on in the final 400.

"I came around the corner, caught them, and was like, 'I hit lactic here but I just gotta go,'," Nauman said. "Just tried my best, tried to hold off whoever was trying to catch up. I'm very proud of that race and very proud of this whole weekend."

Rock Valley IA's Darwin Vande Hoef is the only other boy to achieve three individual wins at the Drake Relays, which was done nearly four decades ago. Vande Hoef won the 110-and 400-meter hurdles and long jump at the 1989 meet.

Gabe Funk of Lenox IA won the only other individual event of the day in the boys 400 hurdles, running 52.40.

Waukee Northwest IA's boy's 4x110 shuttle hurdles relays team of Andrew Eastman, Kalarga Muhtar, Griffin Ludwig and Blake Lugwig, broke the meet and all-time state record in 56.82. Ankeny IA held the meet record for a short time, running 57.44 in the preliminary round.

Ankeny defended its boys 4x800 relay title in 7:41.41, beating Cedar Falls IA by less than two seconds.

Johnston won both the boys 4x100 and 4x400, running 41.84 and 3:15.98, respectively, earning them the high school boys Drake Relays Cup with 20 points.

Reese Brownlee Wins Three Individual Titles

Reese Brownlee of Clear Lake IA joins legendary prep standout Shelby Houlihan as the only competitors on the girls side to win three individual titles in Drake Relays history. 

Brownlee won the girls 400 hurdles in a seasons-best 59.86, adding to her wins in the open 400 and long jump. 

"To do it at the Drake Relays this early in this season when I'm in the middle of a hard training block is really special." Brownlee said. "I had really rough last 100, so I think I can get that time down a little more. I can't complain."

Brownlee also anchored Clear Lake's second-place sprint medley relay.

Houlihan, who finished second in Saturday's women's professional mile, won the 800, 1,500 and 3,000 races in 2011.

Freshman Charlee Gall of Cedar Falls IA won the girls 1,500 in a close finish with Lili Denton of St. Albert Council Bluffs IA, running 4:31.54. Gall won the 3,000 on Thursday.

Waukee Northwest IA collected three relay titles in the girls 4x100, 4x400 and shuttle hurdle, leading to a high school girls Drake Relays Cup, scoring 38 points.

The 4x100 team of Maslyn Eddy, Katie Willits, Bella Distefano and Avery Vogt won the final in 47.65, but set the Drake Relays record in the preliminary round in 47.42.

The 4x400 team ran 3:51.02 to hold off Indianola in 3:51.16; the shuttle hurdle team ran 1:00.70, beating Valley West Des Moines, who anchored Emma Havighurst, the newly minted Iowa state record holder for 100 hurdles.

Pleasant Valley IA ran 9:07.54 to repeat as the girls 4x800 relay champions.