DES MOINES, Iowa — On Wednesday, the Drake Relays opened up with the men's decathlon and women's heptathlon.
The field consisted of mostly college athletes, and a handful of them have ties to central Iowa.
That includes Iowa State's Thai Thompson, who is a Dowling Catholic alum, and UNI's Carter Morton, who graduated from Greene County.
Morton had a great outing, setting new personal records in the high jump and the 400 meters. He currently sits atop the leaderboard heading into day two.
"I always feel at home kind of being here," Morton said. "In high school, State and Drake Relays are here, so I feel like all of us feel a little bit more comfortable in that we've just been here before."
Right behind him is his teammate and Epworth native Zack Butcher, who's overcome several injuries throughout the indoor season.
"I actually sprained my hamstring three different times, so coming back and doing this for the first time and having this success today has meant a lot," Butcher said. "All these guys did really well today."
Some of the local women competing in the heptathlon include Iowa State's Kiersten Fisher, who is a Southeast Valley grad; UNI's Darci Wiseman from Winterset and Lydia Berns-Schweingruber, who graduated from Gilbert.
For a full list of Drake Relays events, click here.