Local athletes set season, career bests at Drake Relays

DES MOINES – A trio of Grundy Center seniors set career-best times on their way to top-nine finishes at the Drake Relays last weekend.

   Brayden Davie, Grace Storjohann and Emerson Vokes ran the best times of their storied careers on the big blue oval while competing against the state’s best track and field athletes. Vokes set a career-best of 4 minutes, 16.57 seconds on his way to an eighth-place finish in the 1,600-meters, Davie ran a career-best 49.41 on his way to a ninth-place finish in the 400 and Storjohann set a career-best 2:12.94 on her way to a ninth-place finish in the 800.

   In addition, Allison Koch tied her season-best jump of 5-foot-5 on her way to eighth place in the high jump, Vokes placed 11^th in the 3,200 and the Spartan girls 4 x 100-meter relay team of Koch, Jocelyn Freed, Maddy Hendershot and Ava Heeren placed 74^th in 51.30 seconds.

   Dike-New Hartford had three events at the meet, both its girls and boys 4 x 100 and Chloe Paulsen in the long jump.

   Paulsen bettered her qualifying position by several places with a 17-th-place finish and a jump of 16 feet, 11 ¾ inches. The Wolverine girls placed 40^th in the 4 x 100 with a season-best 50.24-second clocking. Runners were Paulsen, Abby Jensen, Kailyn Meester and Ruby Varney.

   The Wolverine boys finished 82^nd in the 4 x 100 with Jacob Burch, Quinn Mills, Aiden Walston and Aiden Meester.

   Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s Kennedy Brant placed ninth in the high jump, tying her best jump of the season with a clearance of 5-5.

2026 Drake Relays

Girls Long Jump

Chloe Paulsen, Dike-New Hartford

17^th place, 16-11 ¾

Boys 3,200

Emerson Vokes, Grundy Center

11^th place, 9:21.05 

Girls High Jump

Allison Koch, Grundy Center

Eighth place, 5-5 (Ties season best)

Kennedy Brant, Gladbrook-Reinbeck

Ninth place, 5-5 (Ties season best)

Girls 800-meter run

Grace Storjohann, Grundy Center

Ninth place, 2:12.94 (Career best)

Boys 400-meter dash

Brayden Davie, Grundy Center

Ninth place, 49.41 (Career best)

Girls 4 x 100-meter relay

Dike-New Hartford

40^th place, 50.24 (Season best)

Abby Jensen, Chloe Paulsen, Kailyn Meester, Ruby Varney

Grundy Center

74^th place, 51.30

Jocelyn Freed, Maddy Hendershot, Allison Koch, Ava Heeren

Boys 4 x 100-meter relay 

Dike-New Hartford

82^nd place, 44.32

Jacob Burch, Quinn Mills, Aiden Walston, Aiden Meester

Boys 1,600

Emerson Vokes, Grundy Center

Eighth place, 4:16.57 (Career best)