2019 Drake Relays/Jesse Owens Track Classic
Date	Thurs., April 25 - Sat., April 27
Location	Drake: Des Moines, Iowa | OSU: Columbus, Ohio
Meet Info	Drake Championship Central | Drake Schedule | Drake Live Results OSU Meet Information | OSU Schedule | OSU Live Results
Outdoor Records	Records
National Rankings	Top-25 Men | Top-25 Women | Men's Individual | Women's Individual
MVC Info	Preseason Poll | Track Home | Men's Records | Women's Records | Performance List
Track News	USTFCCCA | Track & Field News
Social Media	@IndStTrackField | @SycamoreTrack | @SycamoreTrack

DES MOINES, Iowa - The Indiana State Track & Field teams will split squad this weekend and send a delegation to the 110th running of the historic Drake Relays, as well as the 34th annual Jesse Owens Track Classic at Ohio State.
 
This Thursday (April 25) through Saturday (April 27), some of the world's best athletes will descend upon Des Moines to compete on the track and in the field, which will feature 47 Olympians/Paralympians.
 
Entering competition on Thursday, the Sycamore men rank 16th in the Great Lakes Regional rankings while the ISU women come in at 13th.
 
Indiana State will send four athletes to Drake that are currently ranked in the NCAA East Region top-48. Matthew Lewis-Banks will be the leader for the blue and white in the hurdles at the relays, as he enters with the 37th-best time in the East and second-fastest time in the Missouri Valley Conference of 14.12 from the Ole Miss Classic.
 
In the distance events for the men, Akis Medrano will look to lead the way. The senior is coming off a stellar performance in the 10K at the Mt. Sac Relays last week where he recorded a personal-best and 44th overall time in the East of 29:46.48. He will compete in the 5K on Thursday evening.
 
On the women's side of the track, Ayanna Morgan will be one of two Sycamores in the 100-meter hurdles. Morgan boasts the top time in the Valley currently and the 42nd-fastest time in the East at 13.67 from the Ole Miss Classic. She will compete in the prelim round of the hurdles on Thursday afternoon.
 
Morgan will be joined on the track by fellow senior Brooke Moore, only Moore will be racing in the 1500-meter run on Friday evening. The distance standout owns the top time in the Valley of 4:23.70 from the Gibson Invite and sits just outside the top-50 in the East in the event.
 
The Drake Relays have been home to many special moments for the Sycamores throughout the years, including what is perhaps the most memorable title in shuttle hurdle relay from 2001 which featured NCAA Champion Aubrey Herring and current ISU assistant coach Jeff Martin. They still own the Drake Relays record (and ISU record) at 55.06.
 
Last season at the Drake Relays the women's shuttle hurdle relay squad composed of Allana Ince, Ayanna Morgan, Caitlyn Redmon and Patrycja Dziekonska defeated the defending Drake Relays shuttle hurdle relay champions, Purdue, by .25 en route to their 2018 Drake Relays championship. The team finished with a time of 55.74, which is a school record by nearly a second and a half over the previous best time of 57.21 set in 2012.
 
Nationally ranked athletes Erin Reese and Cassaundra Roper will be a part of the delegation headed to Ohio State on Friday. Both will compete in all three throwing events: the discus throw, hammer throw and shot put.
 
Reese is ranked in the NCAA top-20 in the discus throw behind her toss of 55.91m (183-05) from the Ole Miss Classic, which is seventh in the East and 17th in the nation. She's also in the top-25 in the hammer throw with her throw of 63.56m (208-06) from the Gibson Invite which is 14th in the East and 23rd in the NCAA. In addition to her nationally-ranked marks, she is also 37th in the East in the shot put after recording a mark of 15.29 (50-02.00) from the Crimson Tide Invitational.
 
Roper is also one of the top athletes in the country in the shot put. At the Crimson Tide Invitational, Roper unleashed an impressive throw of 16.44m (53-11.25) to have the best throw in the MVC, 10th-best mark in the East and 21st-best toss in the NCAA.
 
Freshman Callan Whitehouse will also compete at the Jesse Owens Track Classic this weekend, as he looks to continue his stellar freshman campaign in the pole vault. Last weekend at the Pacesetter Sports Invite he recorded a lifetime-best vault of 5.00m (16-04.75), which pushed him to 43rd in the East.
 
Events at Drake are slated to begin on Thursday at 6 p.m. ET for the Trees with the men's 1500-meter run, while events at Ohio State will begin on Friday at 2 p.m. ET with the hammer and javelin throws.
 
Men's NCAA East Region Top-48:
37. Matthew Lewis-Banks - 110-Meter Hurdles - 14.12
43. Callan Whitehouse - Pole Vault - 5.00m (16-04.75)
 
Women's NCAA East Region Top-48:
7. Erin Reese - Discus Throw - 55.91m (183-05)
10. Cassaundra Roper - Shot Put - 16.44m (53-11.25)
14. Erin Reese - Hammer Throw - 63.56m (208-06)
37. Erin Reese - Shot Put - 15.29m (50-02.00)
42. Ayanna Morgan - 100-Meter Hurdles - 13.67
47. Brooke Moore - 800-Meter Run - 2:07.93
 
Women's NCAA Top-50:
17. Erin Reese - Discus Throw - 55.91m (183-05)
21. Cassaundra Roper - Shot Put - 16.44m (53-11.25)
23. Erin Reese - Hammer Throw - 63.56m (208-06)
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Track & Field teams, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.