Day 2 of the Drake Relays proved to be a historic one for the KQ listening area, as the day was highlighted by South Hamilton’s Austin Busch.
Busch won the boy shot put event to become the first Drake Relays champion in school history, with a throw of 60′ 7.25″, which broke his previous school record, and was a season-best throw for the senior who will throw at Iowa next fall. Competing in a wet, slippery ring, Busch said it was focus that led to his success.
“You really just got to adjust, once you get your warm-ups in, you just get a feel for everything, and then you just got to focus on what you can control,” Busch said. “You got to stay away from a negative attitude and just focus on what you got to do.”
Webster City’s JJ Moore would place 4th with a mark of 54′ 7.25″.
In the girls discus, Roland-Story’s Madison Giese and South Hamilton’s Mackenzy Grady competed in the first flight of the event, with Giese placing 14th with a throw of 116′ 5″ and Grady placing 17th with a throw of 113′ 6″. Grady said that she underestimated the moments that the Relays provide.
“Today in the ring I was just trying to stay focused and stay calm, it’s a big scene and a big stadium to try and throw in, and with a lot of eyes on you,” Grady said “I think today, mentally, I wasn’t as focused as I should’ve been or maybe just not have my head fully-wrapped around the idea of Drake Relays yet.”
Earlier in the morning, South Hamilton’s Tanner Blue kicked off the day with a solid performance in the 110 meter high hurdles, placing 11th in a time of 15.22, just two hundredths of a second off his season-best. Blue afterwards said he felt comfortable from the start.
“I felt really good, I was really loose, I was calm, and the rain really doesn’t bother me.” Blue said.
Moments later, Eagle Grove Ayden Feske competed in the girls 100 meter dash, placing 31st in a time of 13.37 seconds. Feske is the first individual competitor for the Eagles since Tiffany Christensen in 2014. Feske spoke of the nerves she had coming into Friday.
“I was very nervous coming into the race, but I couldn’t be more excited about all the support I’ve gotten. I’m very grateful to be here.” Feske said.
Coverage of Day 3 of the Drake Relays begins tomorrow at 10:00 AM with the girls 4×100 meter relay, where Roland-Story and South Hamilton will be competing.