Kalen Walker was a small-town Iowa kid with big dreams of becoming a track and field star. Now, with his Iowa Hawkeye career winding down, his résumé is the stuff of legend.
The Iowa senior achieved a years-long goal on the final day of the Drake Relays by winning a coveted white flag. The former Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont prep cruised to victory in the 100-meter University/College final in 10.30 seconds on April 25.
“You’re just some small-town Iowa kid, but so was I,” Walker said when asked what advice he would give to a youngster watching him run Saturday. “Look where I’ve come, look what I’ve done. Just keep chipping away, keep getting better, and keep doing your best and you can do it.”
Walker is a two-time Big Ten Conference champion, taking the 60 indoors this year and the 100 outdoors a year ago. Walker is a four-time NCAA All-American, with an NCAA runner-up finish in the 60 meters indoors in 2024 and a third in the 60 this season. He is the first Hawkeye to break 10 seconds for the 100 meters. The list goes on and on.
Now, he finally has a Relays white flag in his collection. Last year, he false-started in the 100 final and his 4×100 relay was disqualified.
“I was pretty nervous,” Walker said of his race Saturday. “It was a pretty big meet for me personally. It was about calming my emotions and taking care of business.”
Walker was highly motivated to deliver a victory in front of family and friends in his final chance to run on the Blue Oval.
“I feel like people who are from other states, they don’t really get it,” Walker said of the Relays. “It’s kind of like an Iowa thing. It’s special for us. It definitely makes me bring myself to another level.”
Women’s 4×100 University
Holly Duax added to her collection of Relays flags with three more while leading the Iowa women to the Relays Cup championship that goes to the team with the most points in relays events.
The six-time state champion at Sioux City West captured the University/College 100 in 11.52 seconds and returned to the track 30 minutes later to work leadoff duties on the Hawkeyes’ winning sprint medley relay in 3:44.68. Less than an hour later, Duax ran anchor on an Iowa squad that won the 4×100 University event in 44.04 seconds.
“It means a lot to me and my team to represent Iowa,” Duax, a redshirt junior, said. “The flags are great, but to put on a good performance and feel good about what we did today I think is the most important part.”
Iowa lost this race to Ohio State a year ago, a stinging defeat the current group wanted to rectify.
“That second place did not sit well,” Duax said.
The other 4×100 relay members were Jailya Ash, Alexandria Edison and Alivia Williams.
Men’s Long Jump Championship
Northern Iowa sixth-year senior Carter Morton jumped a career-best 25 feet, 4 inches on his fourth jump to claim his second Drake Relays title as a collegian.
He reluctantly opted to focus on the long jump after achieving 7,782 points in the decathlon at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 9. That total should guarantee him a spot at NCAA nationals in Eugene, Oregon, in June.
“I was kind of bummed I wasn’t doing the decathlon,” said Morton, who won the Drake decathlon title in 2023. “Drake is a fun place to do it. I was looking forward to getting another Drake flag with the decathlon. Fortunately I got it in the long jump.”
Morton is healthy again after having surgery on left ankle that kept him out of last year’s outdoor season. Now, he’s one of the top decathletes in the nation after being lightly recruited out of high school.
“I was recruited by a lot of smaller schools. I always wanted to go DI (Division I),” Morton said. “UNI was the only DI school that went after me and I said, ‘Let’s go for it, let’s shoot for the stars.’ It’s kind of worked out so far. I haven’t looked back.”
Men’s 4×400 UD Invitational
Former Ankeny High prep Tyrese Miller helped lead the Iowa men to the Relays Cup crown. Miller, a senior who has completed just two full seasons with the Hawkeyes, ran the leadoff leg on a unit that ran 3:05.25. Miller was the third runner on a unit a year ago that took second to North Carolina A&T in this race by .42 of a second.
“I’m an Iowa kid so this means a lot to me,” Miller said. “Rep the Iowa logo on our chest.”
The other relay members were Landon Fontenot, Prior Ochonogor and Terrick Johnson.
Miller was on the Hawkeyes’ 4×400 unit that finished runner-up at the Big Ten Outdoor meet and qualified for the NCAA West first round last year. Miller placed seventh in the 400 at the Big Ten indoor meet in 2024.
Women’s Distance Medley College
Iowa Central Community College took the NJCAA all-time record away from its Region XI rival.
Sophomore anchor Abbigail Hutchinson steamed past Iowa Western anchor Elizabeth Ewusie on the final lap to sent the Tritons to the title in 11:49.37. That time breaks the 11:53.10 mark set by the Reivers at the 2025 Drake Relays.
“It feels good to get the win,” said sophomore Alivia Edens, who competed for Tipton in high school and who ran the 400 Saturday. “This is my first one (Relays flag).”
Iowa Central ran three of the same members – Edens, Hutchinson and sophomore Chadrak Bula Bula – from the squad that placed sixth in this event at the Relays a year ago. The Tritons ran 12:21.74 last year, improving more than 30 seconds in the 4,000-meter event that features 1,200, 400, 800 and 1,600 legs. Edens and Bula Bula switched roles, with Bula Bula taking over the 800 role from Edens. The other relay member was freshman Janae Dawes, who captured the Relays university/college long jump on Friday.
Men’s Iowa College DMR
A Loras College with two former Iowa preps steamrolled the competition. Senior anchor Isaac Bourne finished off the Duhawks’ win with a 4:16.49 anchor on the 1,600 leg to send his team to victory in 10:06.15.
The squad included junior Ian Fagan, who won a 2023 state sprint medley relay title at Drake Stadium with Western Dubuque (Epworth). True freshman Cameron Gotto competed for Pleasant Valley. Both won their first Drake Relays flags.
“It means a lot,” Gotto said. “I’ve always wanted to get one of these. I ran here in high school a bunch of times. I was never able to get it done.”Gotto credits the experienced group of Duhawks distance runners for helping him develop in such a short time.
“I have a lot of really good guys to learn from,” Gotto said. “It’s incredible. I think we’re going to really do something special.”
Women’s Iowa College DMR
Addison Liston wanted to win a Drake Relays title so much that she lied to her freshman anchor, Joy Koole.
After giving the Dordt University women a 4.66-second lead after the opening 1,200 leg, the Defenders freshman was yelling at Koole to pick up the pace because a runner was coming up behind her. By then, Dordt had a nearly insurmountable lead.
“She was saying she is right behind you,” said junior Kailee Altena, who was a late addition for the 400 leg.
Dordt took the program’s first Drake Relays DMR title in 12:03.63, topping Cornell College by 14.59 seconds. Sophomore Corinne Braun ran the 800 leg.
Liston is the lone Iowan on the squad. She never competed in the Drake Relays while running for Unity Christian (Orange City).
“It’s pretty awesome to be competing here for the first time,” Liston said. “It’s such a cool honor and a great representation of our team for the work we put in.”
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Drake Relays College: Iowa senior Kalen Walker wins University/College 100
Reporting by Lance Bergeson, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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