The Drake Relays are coming up in April, and a number of national professional athletes, including Olympians, will be competing on the Blue Oval this year.
Ryan Crouser, Men’s Shot Put
Creator of the World Shot Put Series and three-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser is a 33-year-old from Portland, Oregon. He attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he competed in shot put at a Division I level. While at Texas, he won four DI National Collegiate Athletic Association titles. Crouser has also won three Olympic gold medals, three world championships, 11 U.S championships, six Drake Relays titles and is currently the world record holder for the outdoor shot put. Last year, Crouser debuted the World Shot Put Series at the Drake Relays and is set to kick off the second year of the WSPS at the 2026 Drake Relays.
Sandi Morris, Women’s Pole Vault
Another Olympic medalist, Sandi Morris, is a 33-year-old from Greenville, South Carolina. She pole vaulted at a DI level at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Arkansas. She claimed one NCAA indoor track and field title and three Southeastern Conference titles during her collegiate career. Morris also has two World Indoor Championships titles, four World Championships runner-ups, an Olympic silver medal and five Drake Relays titles.
Hunter Woodhall, Men’s 400m
Hunter Woodhall is a 26-year-old Paralympic runner from Syracuse, Utah. During his collegiate career at the University of Arkansas, he was nominated for NCAA Game Changer of the Year and became a four-time NCAA All-American in the 4×400 meter. Woodhall has won one gold, one silver and three bronze Paralympic medals, along with two silver medals at the World Championships. He will not be competing against other para athletes at Drake Relays; instead, he will race against a group of world-class non-disabled 400 runners.
Tara Davis-Woodhall, Women’s Long Jump
Tara Davis-Woodhall, who is also Hunter Woodhall’s wife, is a 26-year-old from Agoura Hills, California. She started her collegiate career at the University of Georgia for one year and then transferred to the University of Texas at Austin. Davis-Woodhall set the collegiate record for long jump in 2021 at the Texas Relays in Austin. She has also won one Olympic gold, placed first and second at the World Championships and first at the World Indoor Championships.
Karissa Schweizer, Women’s 1500m
The Drake Relays are close to home for Karissa Schweizer, a 29-year-old from Urbandale. She attended the University of Missouri for track and cross country. She won the individual cross country NCAA title in 2016, becoming the first female national champion in any sport at the University of Missouri. During her collegiate career, she won three indoor track titles — one in the 3000m and two in the 5000m — and two outdoor track titles, both in the 5000m. Schweizer is also a two-time Olympic finalist, a World Championships finalist and has one Drake Relays title from her time at the University of Missouri.
Masai Russell, Women’s 100m Hurdles
Washington D.C. native Masai Russell is the American record holder in the 100m hurdles. The 25-year-old attended the University of Kentucky, and in her 2023 college season, she broke two collegiate records in the 60m hurdles and 100m hurdles. She never won any title during her collegiate career, but narrowly won gold in the 100m hurdles at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. In 2025, Russell set the American record in the 100m hurdles. She also has won a 400m hurdles Drake Relays title during her collegiate career, and has a title in the 100m hurdles from the 2025 Drake Relays.
The 2026 Drake Relays events are set to start on April 22 and end on April 25. For the full schedule of events, visit godrakebulldogs.com.
