While the nation’s best collegiate and Olympic-level athletes are competing at Iowa’s elite track showcase, and many high school track and field stars are also showcasing their talent, the future of the sport returned to the famous Blue Oval this week.

Pella Middle School’s Distance Medley Relay of Emmanuel Diers, Rex Rhamy, Nate Warner, and Canaan Dunham ran a time of 3:48.54 to earn victory Friday evening, continuing a remarkable tradition for the green and white.

It actually amounts to a back-to-back-to-back successful defense of the Drake Relays title for that race for the boys from Pella: the Middle School won the 1600 meter medley race in 2019, which included the group of CJ Shetterly, Roman Hugan, Kenson Fuller, and Chase Lauman running a time of 3:49.7, and in 2018, the Distance Medley relay of Nolan Clayberg, Aidan Pollock, Karl Miller, and Josiah Wittenberg also won with a time of 3:54.7. Those eight also are among the best runners for the current defending Class 3A high school championship Pella Dutch. Middle school runners were not included in the reduced Drake Relays in 2021 and the 2020 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.