Jenks leads slogging chase for Drake Relays glory

Neither rain, nor cold, nor competition can stop Stephanie Jenks from Drake Relays glory.

Linn-Mar's junior star isn't the post office, but she's almost as reliable and consistent.

On a wet and windy final day of competition at Drake Stadium, Jenks capped a banner weekend in the high school girls' field with her third title, sweeping the individual distance events and earning the eighth Drake Relays flag of her young career Saturday afternoon.

"I've just been trying to excel and do my best every single year," Jenks said.

"It's really hard for me to push myself by myself. I'm really into competition, I just want to run against competition, that's all I want to do this year."

Jenks comfortably won the 1,500-meter race for the third straight year in 4:31.09, adding to her 3,000 and 800 victories earlier in the weekend. She swept those three events at the 2014 Class 4-A state track meet, and now has claim to those titles on the track against all of Iowa's competition.

Urbandale junior Trina Moreno finished second in 4:42.19 and Ballard of Huxley's Abby Kohut-Jackson was a close third in 4:43.24.

"We have this joke, we're going to 'win.'" Moreno said, laughing and signaling air quotes.

"That means getting second, obviously, because of Stephanie. That was my goal, to 'win' and I'm really happy I did that."

Jenks wasn't entirely unstoppable on Saturday. After recently taking up hurdling and qualifying for the Drake Relays because of a late scratch, Jenks tackled the 400-meter hurdles just 40 minutes after her 1,500 win.

Iowa City High senior Sarah Plock won her third straight hurdles flag with a 1:01.22 finish.

"It's an awesome feeling just to come out here and race against these amazing girls in this atmosphere," Plock said.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson added to its 4x200 title on Friday with a set of 4x100 flags on Saturday.

The same four J-Hawks — Lucy Schneekloth, Abilene Ranschau, Morgan Meese and Jasmine Blue — tied a Drake Relays record and Iowa's all-time best mark of 47.55 in the win.

"I knew that it was between me and the finish line, these flags and my team," Blue said. "We always say that we don't run for ourselves, but we run for everybody involved with our program."

Pleasant Valley caught up with Linn-Mar in the final homestretch of the meet to win the 4x400. Sophomore Addie Swanson passed a struggling Amber Decker in the final 100 meters to spark an emotional celebration following the 3:55.49 win.

"There's been all this pressure with how the season turned out last year and we just really wanted it," Swanson said.

"I was just hoping I could catch her and I was completely dead, so I'm glad things turned out the way they did."

Waukee's girls started the school's shuttle hurdle relay sweep with a 1:03.55 win to start the afternoon session, the team's third title in the past four years.

"I think we just had so much adrenaline going and we really wanted it from last year," said anchor Danielle Modrell.

The excitable Warriors led finalists Pleasant Valley, Urbandale and Clear Creek-Amana from start to finish.

"We all feed off each other energy-wise," said sophomore Hannah Schau.

Davenport Assumption defended its 4x800 title in the only final of Saturday's sloppy morning session. The Knights had to overtake Waukee in the third leg to win and better their Drake Relays mark with a 9:20.99 finish.

"The rain was less of factor than the temperature, so I just had to stay moving and keep loose," said Assumption anchor Joy Ripslinger. "Throughout the beginning of the race we were there and I had confidence that we would make our way up."

The Drake Relays announcement for outstanding performer in the girls' high school division will be made Monday.