The Drake Relays hold significance for the Illinois men’s Track and Field team, as it has won the most titles of any team in the meet’s 104-year history. The Illini will look to make one final statement prior to the Big Ten Championships at the final regular season meet over the weekend in Des Moines, Iowa.

“We always circle this meet on the calendar before the season, since we have a history of success at the Drake Relays,” head coach Mike Turk said. “This is our last opportunity to do something special and feel confident about ourselves going into our biggest meet of the year (Big Tens) in two weeks.”

The Drake Relays are known in the track and field community as a showcase for some of the best relay squads in the nation, with over 8,000 total participants coming from the professional, collegiate and high school ranks. The Illini will be competing in five relays over the weekend as part of the inaugural Hy-Vee Cup. The five relay events, which include the 400 meter, 1600 meter, 3200 meter, the distance medley and the sprint medley, will be scored as team scores in the Hy-Vee Cup.

The 4×800 and the distance and sprint medleys are events the Illini do not regularly compete in during the outdoor season. Unfamiliarity with these three relay events poses a challenge the Illini understand coming into the weekend, and is something they welcome.

“I think the guys enjoy the variation we see at this meet and the ability to run events they are unaccustomed to,” Turk said. “I believe we have a real good chance to be a factor in all five relays.”

In the 4×800, the Illini will trot out senior Ryan Lynn, sophomore Josh Jones, junior Zebo Zebe and freshman Luke Carroll. This will be the first time since the 2012 outdoor season that the 4×800 will compete for Illinois. The 4×800 squad will face off against tough foes in Notre Dame and Minnesota.

“All the guys on 4×800 are looking forward to getting out on track in an event we rarely run,” Lynn said. “We’re not going to stress the 4×800, so we’ll be relaxed but still confident going into it.”

The Illini will also compete in the distance medley relay and the sprint medley relay. Illinois last competed in the DMR at the indoor national meet in March — earning All-American honors in that meet. The Illini last ran the SMR at last season’s Drake Relays, where they finished third.

Rounding out the relay events in the Hy-Vee Cup are the 400 and 1600 meter relays — two squads that are currently at opposite ends of the spectrum. The 4×400 relay will look to continue its meteoric rise in the national standings after last week’s title-winning effort at LSU. The 4×100, on the other hand, has yet to put together a solid showing in any meet this season. Turk said the 4×100 will take a more cautious approach, especially on exchanges, to limit the damage done on botched exchanges.

“We have one more real shot at turning around our constant struggles in the 4×1,” said sophomore Brandon Stryganek, who will run in the event.“It’s been very frustrating, but we still need to have a competitive mindset if we’re going to turn it around.”

In the individual events, the Illini are sending athletes to compete in the hurdles and the long-distance events. Freshman Cam Viney will compete in the 400-meter hurdles, while junior Vanier Joseph will run in the 110-meter hurdles. Notable Illini running in long-distance events over the weekend are redshirt freshman Paul Zeman in the 10,000 meters and senior Jannis Toepfer in the 5,000 meters. Turk believes that these four events present an opportunity for statement efforts in the individual events. 

“By this point in the season, we know what to expect in the majority of our individual events,” Turk said. “We just want to see some growth from a couple of our guys, and ultimately for all of our guys to stay healthy.”

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @danescalona77.