Drake University Women's Track

Bennett Jr. came to Drake in October 2012 as the the assistant men's and women's track and field coach specializing in coaching hurdles and sprints. "After considering numerous applicants, LaRon Bennett rose to the top as the best candidate," Drake Track and Field head coach Natasha Brown said. "He shares the same passion as our coaches for the sport of track and field." It became apparent that Bennett had an immediate impact on the hurdlers when senior Sarah Yeager claimed the 2013 Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championship in the 60-meter hurdles in a personal best time.  Moving into the 2013 outdoor season, the four-some of Yeager, Destani Welch, Briana Isom-Brummer and Marissa Smith took the silver medal at the Drake Relays in the university/college shuttle hurdle relay in a school record 55.07, which was more than four seconds faster than the previous record set in 2010. Yeager went on to win the MVC Outdoor Championship 100 meter hurdle crown in 13.44, breaking Smith's school record who placed third. Bennett grew up in Brunswick, Ga., attending Glynn Academy High School before going on to the University of Georgia. He graduated in 2007 after an impressive athletic career and a Bachelor of Science in Child and Family Development. While competing for the Bulldogs at Georgia, Bennett was a three-time All-American in the 400 meter hurdles (2003-2005) and team captain for one of the top squads in the country. Bennett continued his success at the professional level competing in the Olympic Trials finals twice (2004 and 2008), and the semi-finals in 2012. He also finished sixth in the 400 hurdles at the USATF Championships in 2010. He hopes to continue to compete, making one more stab at the Olympics in 2016. "Coach Bennett brings a strong competitive background to our program having served as an assistant coach in the SEC," Kaiser-Brown said. "I believe, in a short amount of time, we will see some impressive results from our hurdlers in the seasons to come." While continuing his professional career, Bennett found a new love of in coaching the sport he enjoyed so much. He volunteered as a sprint and hurdles coach at Georgia, as well as at North Oconee High School, where he helped lead their teams to top state finishes in 2010. Drake is no stranger to Bennett, who has competed at the Drake Relays six times in his career including four with Georgia and twice as a professional. "It's a real personable atmosphere," Bennett said of Drake. "I've had a good experience here with the Drake Relays and I'm really looking forward to a transition to the coaching ranks." Bennett prides himself on his involvement outside of the athletics realm. He is an active member of his church, becoming a Deacon in 2010 and worked with Win with Integrity, a group that speaks to young athletes to motivate and encourage them to make positive decisions in their developing career. This is the first time he will be in the midwest for an extended period of time. He mentioned how he hoped to "bring the warm weather" with him, though Kaiser-Brown and head Cross Country coach Dan Hostager had already given him his first large winter coat. Bennett is a talented athlete who has spent his time balancing athletic excellence, community leadership, and a young family. He and his wife, Kali, have a young son, Malachi.

Hostager is in his 15th year as the Bulldog mens cross country coach and is in his ninth year as head mens and womens cross country coach. He also was the mens head track and field coach at Drake for three years and currently serves as an assistant coach for the track and field program specializing with the distance runners. Hostager has been raising heads ever since his arrival at Drake. He was named the Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Coach of the Year in 1999 after leading the Bulldogs to their first league title since 1970. The 1999 Drake cross country team ranked second in NCAA Division I programs designated as All-American with distinction by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association for a 3.52 cumulative team grade-point average. That academic legacy has continued as the womens team has been named a Scholar Team by the USTFCCCA for each of the last 15 seasons while the mens team has earned the honor in seven of the last eight years. Last season, the womens team posted a team GPA of 3.66, the 14th highest mark in the nation. Additionally, the team earned Drakes prestigious Provosts Award that is bestowed annually on the team that records the highest GPA. This past fall, the Drake men battled injury to finish eighth in the MVC with Doug Brady earning MVC Scholar-Athlete honors while the women were sixth at the MVC Championship hosted by Drake in Des Moines. The 2012 mens cross country teams fourth place finish at the Missouri Valley Conference meet was highlighted by then junior Brogan Austin, who finished third. Austin was honored with the 2012 Elite 18 Award for mens cross country, which goes to the highest achieving student-athlete when combining athletic finish at the MVC Championship and cumulative grade-point average. He was also selected to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team for the second straight year. Austin was named 2011 MVC cross country runner of the year after winning the 2011 MVC meet. He and teammates Doug Brady and Colin Hagan were also named to the 2011 MVC Scholar-Athlete Team. Under Hostagers guidance senior Kirsten Lake had one of the most successful womens cross country seasons in recent Bulldog history in 2012. Lake finished sixth at the 2012 MVC meet, won the Bulldog Classic, and led Drake in each of the meets she competed in. Hostager guided the mens cross country program to second-place finishes in the 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006 Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Team Championships, while the Bulldogs finished third in 2004 and 2011. On the track, he has coached Austin to the 2013 Drake Relays title in the 5,000 meters an and MVC outdoor title in the event as well. This past winter, Austin won both the 5,000 and 3,000 meters at the MVC Indoor Championship to earn Most Outstanding Performer honors. He also coached 2012 NCAA Regional qualifiers Omet Kak, Charlie Lapham and Kirsten Lake in the 1,500 meters. In 2011, Brogan Austin qualified in the 10,000 and Omet Kak in the 1500. In 2010, Nicole Braunsdorf and Casey McDermott qualified in the 1500, as well as 5000 qualifier Jeff Grassmeyer. Braunsdorf and McDermott also qualified for regionals in 2009 and Grassmeyer in 2007. At the 2012 MVC Outdoor Championship, Kirsten Lake took the 1,500 title setting a school record in the process. The Drake mens team also won the distance medley relay at the 2009 MVC Indoor Championship. In the fall of 2006 Hostager coached senior Ashley Anklam into becoming just the third runner in Drake history to win the MVC womens individual cross country title.  Junior Casey McDermott garnered all-MVC honors placing ninth at the 2009 conference cross country meet. Drake senior Brent Wilberts won the individual 2003 MVC cross country race, hosted by Drake, posting the fastest championship winning time since 1983. Wilberts was named the MVC Runner of the Year and finished 55th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Drake senior Bobby Anderson won the individual 2004 MVC cross country race and was named MVC Runner of the Year while also competing in the NCAA Cross Country Championships. In 2000, Jason Lehmkuhle also qualified to run the 10,000 meters at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials, becoming the first Drake athlete to accomplish that feat since sprinter Kevin Little in 1992. Lehmkuhle ran the fastest 10,000 time in MVC history in 28:44.91 at the Stanford Invitational to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials. Lehmkuhle and Matt Gabrielson also competed in the 2005 World Cross Country Championships as well as the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 5,000. Gabrielson, Lehmkuhle and former Drake runner Zac Schnedel also qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. Representing Team USA, Gabrielson finished 36th in the marathon at the 2009 World Track Championships in Berlin, Germany. Joel Lelacheur (pole vault) and Wilberts (1,500) advanced to the 2003 NCAA Regional Outdoor Championships; with Wilberts qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Championships with his 3:43.61 clocking that also qualified him for the 2003 U.S. Outdoor Championships. Hostager served three years as head track coach at Upper Iowa with his squads setting 19 mens and womens school records in 1997, which culiminated by coaching Dennis Black to the NCAA Division III indoor and outdoor national titles in the shot put. A 1990 graduate of Northern Iowa, Hostager was the head cross country coach and assistant track coach for the mens and womens programs at St. Cloud State from 1993-96. Hostager has completed his USATF Level II coaching certification in the endurance, jumping and throwing events and is working on his USATF Level III in the endurance events. Hostager qualified for the 1992 and 1996 U.S. Olympic trials in the marathon and was the 1992 Road Runners Club of America national champion in the 10,000 meters. He owned the UNI indoor school record in the 3,000 meters (8:02.67) and also earned All-America honors in the event at the 1989 NCAA Indoor Championships.   Hostager and his wife, Maria LaFrance, have two sons, Noah and Quincy. Dan Hostager Interim Co-Head Coach Track & Field and Cross Country Dan Hostager is in his 15th year as the Bulldog mens cross country coach and is in his ninth year as head mens and womens cross country coach. He also was the mens head track and field coach at Drake for three years and currently serves as an assistant coach for the track and field program specializing with the distance runners. Hostager has been raising heads ever since his arrival at Drake. He was named the Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Coach of the Year in 1999 after leading the Bulldogs to their first league title since 1970. The 1999 Drake cross country team ranked second in NCAA Division I programs designated as All-American with distinction by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association for a 3.52 cumulative team grade-point average. That academic legacy has continued as the womens team has been named a Scholar Team by the USTFCCCA for each of the last 15 seasons while the mens team has earned the honor in seven of the last eight years. Last season, the womens team posted a team GPA of 3.66, the 14th highest mark in the nation. Additionally, the team earned Drakes prestigious Provosts Award that is bestowed annually on the team that records the highest GPA. This past fall, the Drake men battled injury to finish eighth in the MVC with Doug Brady earning MVC Scholar-Athlete honors while the women were sixth at the MVC Championship hosted by Drake in Des Moines. The 2012 mens cross country teams fourth place finish at the Missouri Valley Conference meet was highlighted by then junior Brogan Austin, who finished third. Austin was honored with the 2012 Elite 18 Award for mens cross country, which goes to the highest achieving student-athlete when combining athletic finish at the MVC Championship and cumulative grade-point average. He was also selected to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team for the second straight year. Austin was named 2011 MVC cross country runner of the year after winning the 2011 MVC meet. He and teammates Doug Brady and Colin Hagan were also named to the 2011 MVC Scholar-Athlete Team. Under Hostagers guidance senior Kirsten Lake had one of the most successful womens cross country seasons in recent Bulldog history in 2012. Lake finished sixth at the 2012 MVC meet, won the Bulldog Classic, and led Drake in each of the meets she competed in. Hostager guided the mens cross country program to second-place finishes in the 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006 Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Team Championships, while the Bulldogs finished third in 2004 and 2011. On the track, he has coached Austin to the 2013 Drake Relays title in the 5,000 meters an and MVC outdoor title in the event as well. This past winter, Austin won both the 5,000 and 3,000 meters at the MVC Indoor Championship to earn Most Outstanding Performer honors. He also coached 2012 NCAA Regional qualifiers Omet Kak, Charlie Lapham and Kirsten Lake in the 1,500 meters. In 2011, Brogan Austin qualified in the 10,000 and Omet Kak in the 1500. In 2010, Nicole Braunsdorf and Casey McDermott qualified in the 1500, as well as 5000 qualifier Jeff Grassmeyer. Braunsdorf and McDermott also qualified for regionals in 2009 and Grassmeyer in 2007. At the 2012 MVC Outdoor Championship, Kirsten Lake took the 1,500 title setting a school record in the process. The Drake mens team also won the distance medley relay at the 2009 MVC Indoor Championship. In the fall of 2006 Hostager coached senior Ashley Anklam into becoming just the third runner in Drake history to win the MVC womens individual cross country title.  Junior Casey McDermott garnered all-MVC honors placing ninth at the 2009 conference cross country meet. Drake senior Brent Wilberts won the individual 2003 MVC cross country race, hosted by Drake, posting the fastest championship winning time since 1983. Wilberts was named the MVC Runner of the Year and finished 55th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Drake senior Bobby Anderson won the individual 2004 MVC cross country race and was named MVC Runner of the Year while also competing in the NCAA Cross Country Championships. In 2000, Jason Lehmkuhle also qualified to run the 10,000 meters at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials, becoming the first Drake athlete to accomplish that feat since sprinter Kevin Little in 1992. Lehmkuhle ran the fastest 10,000 time in MVC history in 28:44.91 at the Stanford Invitational to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials. Lehmkuhle and Matt Gabrielson also competed in the 2005 World Cross Country Championships as well as the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 5,000. Gabrielson, Lehmkuhle and former Drake runner Zac Schnedel also qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. Representing Team USA, Gabrielson finished 36th in the marathon at the 2009 World Track Championships in Berlin, Germany. Joel Lelacheur (pole vault) and Wilberts (1,500) advanced to the 2003 NCAA Regional Outdoor Championships; with Wilberts qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Championships with his 3:43.61 clocking that also qualified him for the 2003 U.S. Outdoor Championships. Hostager served three years as head track coach at Upper Iowa with his squads setting 19 mens and womens school records in 1997, which culiminated by coaching Dennis Black to the NCAA Division III indoor and outdoor national titles in the shot put. A 1990 graduate of Northern Iowa, Hostager was the head cross country coach and assistant track coach for the mens and womens programs at St. Cloud State from 1993-96. Hostager has completed his USATF Level II coaching certification in the endurance, jumping and throwing events and is working on his USATF Level III in the endurance events. Hostager qualified for the 1992 and 1996 U.S. Olympic trials in the marathon and was the 1992 Road Runners Club of America national champion in the 10,000 meters. He owned the UNI indoor school record in the 3,000 meters (8:02.67) and also earned All-America honors in the event at the 1989 NCAA Indoor Championships.   Hostager and his wife, Maria LaFrance, have two sons, Noah and Quincy.

Blake Boldon was named the 12th Franklin ‘Pitch’ Johnson Director of the Drake Relays on Oct. 12, 2016. In addition to leading the Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom, Boldon currently serves as Drake’s Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Operations, including overseeing communications, marketing, broadcasting, and video production for the Bulldogs.   Boldon served as the executive director of the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon prior to taking the reins of the Drake Relays presented by Xtream. A native of Osceola, Iowa, he has an extensive background and record of success as a competitive athlete, collegiate coach, and event director.   “As an Iowan and former Relays competitor, I know firsthand the tremendous history and tradition the Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom has in Iowa, the U.S., and the international track and field community,” Boldon said. “With Mediacom’s partnership, the Drake Relays has become one of the premier athletic events in the world. Through my experience growing up as a spectator, competing as an athlete, and coaching, the Drake Relays presented by Xtream has played a significant role in making me who I am today. The opportunity to build upon the incredible foundation of success while we work to continue to elevate the profile of America’s Athletic Classic is truly an honor.”   In his first eight years as director, Boldon has maintained many generations-old traditions, while expanding event offerings and growing the Drake Relays presented by Xtream with more than 50 Drake Relays records set during his tenure.   In his first three years, the Drake Relays became more inclusive through partnerships with the USOPC, Special Olympics Iowa, and Adaptive Sports Iowa. Boldon led the staff successfully through the global pandemic in 2020 by hosting the Blue Oval Showcase in August, one of very few World Athletic Continental Tour competitions of the entire global outdoor track and field season. In 2021, while all comparable events canceled or limited competition, the Drake Relays presented by Xtream featured Olympians preparing for the games in Tokyo, the nation’s top collegians, and the top Iowa high school athletes. In 2022, the Relays were “Back on Track” featuring the strongest university division in decades, including the University of Michigan for the first time since 1956 and North Carolina A&T, the only school in the NCAA to earn both a men’s and women’s trophy at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship. In 2023, the Drake Relays presented by Xtream hosted the inaugural Collegiate Wheelchair 100 Championship and the winning performances at the Grand Blue Mile presented by Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield were ratified by World Athletics as the inaugural world records in the discipline. Last year, Relays Week expanded to include a one-of-a-kind team shot put competition in the historic Drake Fieldhouse and the Vault at Jordan Creek Town Center returned for the first time in a decade.   In 2020, Boldon was named to a four-year term on the NCAA Track and Field and Cross Countrey Committee, serving as chairperson in his fourth year. That same year, Blake was elected to serve as chair of the USATF Men’s Long Distance Running, a committee he had served as vice chair for the previous six years. Within USATF he also served as the head men’s manager for Team USA at the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships, event manager at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, and the 2022 NACA Championships in Freeport, Bahamas, in addition to being the men’s coach for Team USA at the 2023 World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia. In 2024, he became one of just 71 global candidates to earn the World Athletics Competition Director Diploma. Boldin is currently in his second term as a public director on the Iowa Sports Foundation Board of Directors.   Boldon’s experience at Beyond Monumental and the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon (IMM) presented the unique qualifications influential in his selection as the Franklin ‘Pitch’ Johnson Director of the Drake Relays. He transformed the IMM and its associated races within the Beyond Monumental organization into one of the premier road racing events in the nation. Overseeing a budget of nearly $2 million, Boldon propelled the event from the 60th largest marathon in the country to the 20th. That growth rate was the third largest nationally for a marathon and the largest for a half marathon. His leadership resulted in the IMM setting annual revenue records and a 100 percent growth in sponsorships while also making the IMM an agent of change in the Indianapolis community. In addition to strengthening the lineup of events by acquiring the Indianapolis Marathon, Boldon created the Monumental Mile in 2014 that was ranked by Shape Magazine as one of the top 10 1-mile road races in the nation alongside Des Moines’ Grand Blue Mile.   “The Drake Relays serves not only as one of the nation’s most celebrated high school, intercollegiate, and elite track and field events, but also as a university-wide celebration for the Drake community and an important cultural event and economic driver for Des Moines and the Midwest,” said Drake University President Marty Martin. “This legacy as America’s Athletic Classic has been carefully cultivated over more than a century. Under his leadership experience, logistical expertise, and creative vision, Blake Boldon has carried this legacy forward.”   Before leading the Indianapolis Monutmental Marathon, Boldon spent two years at the University of Pennsylvania as the Quakers’ head cross country coach and track and field distance coach. He was also involved in the planning and execution of the Penn Relays and coordinated the Penn Relays Men’s Olympic Development Mile. Boldon also coached at UAB (2009-10) and Iowa State (2005-08), serving as the recruiting and academic coordinator at the latter.   Boldon is familiar with Drake Stadium and the iconic Blue Oval where he won the 1998 Iowa Class 3A state title in the 1,600, running for Clarke High School of Osceola. As a collegian at Missouri State University, he won five Missouri Valley Conference titles and a Drake Relays title in the 1,500 in 2003. Boldon graduated from Missouri State with a degree in education in 2003 and was named MSU’s Outstanding Male Athlete Award winner in addition to being a First Team CoSIDA Academic All-American. He was inducted into the Missouri State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020.   Boldon competed professionally, returning to Drake Stadium many times. In 2007, he became just the third Iowan to run a sub-four-minute mile during the indoor season and finished fourth at the USATF Indoor Championships. Later that season, he finished second at the Drake Relays to American record holder Alan Webb, who shattered the Drake Stadium record with a 3:51.71 finish in that classic race. Boldon’s professional career also includes four top 10 finishes at USATF Championships.