Some call it “America’s athletic classic” or “the premier track and field event in the nation.” Whatever you want to call it, this weekend thousands of fans, athletes and media will pour into Des Moines at Drake University for the mecca of track and field in Iowa – the Drake Relays.

Iowa State will be lead by freshman distance standout Lisa Koll and the shuttle hurdle relay team consisting of Rebecca Williams, Sara Boisen, Megan Nielsen and Jenna Caffrey.

Both Koll and the shuttle hurdle relay are the Cyclones’ best chance for victories at one of the biggest track meets of the year. The Drake Relays will also give the opportunity for the Cyclones to race in front of 16,000 track fanatics, something that is not found anywhere else in America.

Koll comes into the Drake Relays feeling right at home. She qualified and ran the Relays in high school, which Koll feels gives her extra motivation as she takes to the brand-new blue track at Drake.

“It makes me want it more than other people who are there,” Koll said. “When you are there for high school you really look up to the college athletes who are there and you feel like you are invited but it’s not really about you. You realize the meet is about being competitive at the collegiate level. So I think I have a better perspective of what the meet is about and it means more to me than other people.”

Having an understanding of what the Drake Relays is really about will not be the only motivation Koll takes into the meet. Koll will use her placing in high school races as extra motivation, along with the opportunity to represent her home state against national competition in one of the biggest meets in the nation.

“My goal is to win, I never came over sixth place in high school at Drake,” Koll said. “So it would be awesome to go out and win the collegiate round in something that I was never even competitive in for first place in high school. It’s always great to see an Iowan win especially at Drake so I definitely feel like its home its my home meet and it’s a sense of community there.”

The shuttle hurdle relay team also knows something about the motivation of running in front of the home state crowd. Three of the four athletes on the team are from Iowa, while Williams, the lone out-of-state member of the relay squad, is a product of Arizona.

The shuttle hurdle relay team is one of the strongest in field heading into the meet and hopes to capture the coveted Drake Relays flag for winning an event. Sprint and hurdle coach Scott Roberts is looking for a very strong performance from his runners in the event.

“We are going to try real hard to do really well in the shuttle hurdle on Saturday,” Roberts said. “I really think we can finish in the top two or three.”

Caffrey and Williams will look not only to finish in the top three in the shuttle hurdle relay, but both stand a good chance of placing well in the 100-meter hurdles. Caffrey is a former high school Drake Relays champion and will look to make an impressive collegiate debut, and grace the podium as a Cyclone.

Boisen will look to run through the competition in the 400 hurdle run. The native from Des Moines will look to give the hometown crowd another strong Drake Relays performance. Boisen has achieved a spot on the Drake Relays Podium in both a Cyclone and West Des Moines Valley uniform. In high school Boisen was a four-time Drake Relays champion and holds the record for the 100 hurdles.