Six area athletes competed on the opening day of the 2026 Drake Relays at Drake Stadium in Des Moines on Thursday, with Pekin’s Chloe Glosser turning in a career-best performance in the girls 3,000-meter run, Anna Hadley of Pekin placing fourth in the girls shot put, Ottumwa’s Delilah Subsin placing second in the girls shot put, Albia’s McKenna Montgomery placing 12th in the girls 3,000-meter run, Fairfield’s Eli Zillman finishing fourth in the boys high jump, and Davis County’s Talan Cramer also competing in the high jump.
Boys High Jump
Zillman, a senior, finished tied for fourth out of 26 competitors in the boys high jump with a clearance of 6-06, tying with Logan Atherton of Norwalk. He passed on 6-02 on his first attempt, passed on 6-04 on his second attempt, and cleared 6-06 on his second attempt before being unable to clear 6-08, which matches his season best. Zillman also finished fourth at the Drake Relays a year ago alongside former Fairfield teammate Ryan Giberson.
The event was won by Ajak Malual, a sophomore from Waukee, who cleared 7-00 to claim the title. Eli Patterson, a senior from Benton, placed second with a clearance of 6-10 — a season best for him. Patterson won the Class 3A state championship last year over Zillman and Giberson, and finished third at the Drake Relays a year ago. Oscar Duve, a junior from Western Dubuque, placed third at 6-06 by tiebreaker. Kysen Lamb of Clear Lake also cleared 6-06, finishing sixth. Trevon Keely of Paton-Churdan placed seventh with a clearance of 6-04.
Davis County’s Talan Cramer did not clear the opening height of 6-02 and did not record a mark in the competition.
With Patterson back in the Class 3A field, Zillman will face stiff competition for the state title once again later this spring, along with Duve from Western Dubuque, also a 3A team.
Girls Shot Put
Hadley, a senior from Pekin and a one-time state champion in the shot put, placed fourth in the girls shot put out of 24 competitors with a best throw of 43-02.50 on her fourth attempt. Her six throws were 40-06.25, 40-10, 42-00.25, 43-02.50, a foul, and 40-04. The top nine competitors advanced to a finals round of three additional throws for a total of six attempts each.
Hadley’s performance was a significant improvement over her Drake Relays appearance a year ago, when she placed 15th with a throw of 36-09.75. With the nearest Class 1A competitor — Sophia Fenner of Riverside, who threw 38-08.25 on her second attempt and did not advance to finals — well behind her placing 14th, Hadley appears well-positioned for another state title in the shot put this spring.
Subsin, a senior from Ottumwa, placed second with a sixth-throw mark of 45-09.75. Her throws were 41-11.25, 40-10.50, 43-09.75, 43-09.75, 45-03.75, and 45-09.75 — a strong performance that improved with each round of throws.
The event was won by Kylee Hill, a junior from Burlington, with a fifth-throw distance of 47-09.75 despite scratching on three of her six attempts. Hill had thrown 51-01 at the Don Newell Classic in Ottumwa on Tuesday, April 21st, where she also beat Subsin, who threw 47-09 in that meet. Rachel Haack of Iowa City High placed third with a sixth-throw mark of 43-07.25. Tatum Johnson of Urbandale placed fifth at 42-09.75, Miya Schrock of Unity Christian sixth at 42-06.75, Hannah Schroeder of North Fayette Valley seventh at 41-00.25, Morgan Davis of Hinton eighth at 40-07.50, and Sam Gripp of Indianola ninth at 40-06.75.
Girls 3,000-Meter Run
Glosser, a senior from Pekin, delivered an outstanding performance, finishing third in the girls 3,000-meter run with a career-best time of 9:39.33 out of 21 competitors. Her splits were as follows: 200 meters in 36.77, 600 in 1:55.23, 1,000 in 3:14.01, 1,400 in 4:32.01, 1,800 in 5:50.97, 2,200 in 7:10.10, and 2,600 in 8:27.16 before finishing in 9:39.33. Her previous season’s best heading into the meet was 10:00.64.
The result is a dramatic improvement over her Drake Relays finishes in recent years. A year ago, Glosser placed third at Drake with a time of 9:57.37. This year’s third-place finish at 9:39.33 was nearly 18 seconds faster. For context, Class 1A state champion Lili Denton of St. Albert won last year’s state championship with a time of 9:42.04, while Glosser finished second at state with a 10:14.43. Glosser’s career-best time of 9:39.33 on Thursday would have won last year’s state title.
The event was won by Charlee Gall, a sophomore from Cedar Falls, in 9:34.75 — the same athlete who won this Drake Relays race a year ago with a time of 9:44.19. Evelyn Moeller, a junior from Mount Vernon, placed second in 9:37.37. Emmy Stubbendeck, a freshman from Waukee Northwest, placed fourth in 9:48.97. Maddie Millage of Pleasant Valley placed fifth in 9:54.10, Marissa Ferebee of Pella sixth in 9:54.90, and Lili Denton of St. Albert — the reigning Class 1A state champion who beat Glosser at last year’s state meet with a time of 9:42.04 and finished second at last year’s Drake Relays in 9:50.90 — placed seventh in 10:00.33. With Glosser running a 9:39.33 while Denton ran a 10:00.33 in the same race — a gap of more than 21 seconds — Glosser appears to have a real shot at claiming the Class 1A state championship this spring. McKenna Montgomery of Albia, the Class 2A cross country state champion, placed 12th in 10:08.87.
