Sprinting across the electric blue turf at Drake Stadium on Friday was Jomal Wiltz, a senior defensive back for the ISU football team and now track runner, at the Drake Relays. 

Wiltz, a senior who recorded 41 tackles in the 2015 football season, made his Drake Relays and collegiate track debut.

At North Shore High School in Galena Park, Texas, Wiltz holds the fourth best long jump and 100-meter time in program history. Wiltz transferred to Iowa State from Trinity Valley Community Collage. As a three-star recruit by ESPN, Wiltz chose ISU over Nevada-Las Vegas and California.

Wiltz anchored the 4×100-meter relay on Friday. Also in the relay was Deon Sanders, Chandler Diercks and Wiltz’s fellow ISU football teammate and wide receiver Trever Ryen. The relay finished with a time of 42.77 in 24th place.

Ryen made his first track debut this season after playing in the spring football game on April 16th.

With fellow competitors and spectators clapping along to the long strides of Alexandru Mitirica’s, he wrapped up his only event with a mark of 15.40 meters and a sixth place finish overall.

In the 110-meter hurdles, senior Taylor Sanderson finished in fifth place in his heat at 14.67, just .12 seconds off of his personal-best.

In 11th place overall was senior and three-time All-American Jan Jeuschede, who had a best throw of 16.95 meters in the shot put. Nace Plesko, a native of Slovenia, competed alongside Jeuschede in the shot put and finished at 27th with a throw of 15.19 meters.

The 4×400 relay finished off day two of the Drake Relays for the Cyclones. At the loud shot of the gun, Sanders took off, gliding across the turf. After three passes of the baton, Jacob Hoogensen bolted across the white finish line, punching in a time of 3:12.76.

Derek Jones will be the lone Cyclone competing at the Drake Relays on Saturn in the 400-meter hurdles.