Red-shirt sophomore Zye Boey can’t wait for the Drake Relays.

Boey will run in the 100-meter dash, but that’s not his primary concern.

He’s concerned about the four relays that he will be a part of this meet that started Wednesday in Des Moines, Iowa.

“I’m just looking forward to compete,” he said. “From where I’m at, I’m not at 100 percent. My main focus is on the relays.”

Eastern starts competition today as more than 7,200 athletes will compete during the four-day meet.

Eastern will run its men’s 400-, 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter relay teams.

Boey is in the third heat in the 100-meter

dash. Boey’s season best is 10.5 seconds, which he ran at Western Illinois’ Lee Calhoun Invitational. Last season Boey finished second in the 100-meter dash at the Drake Relays in 10.38 seconds. Baylor’s Trey Harts won the 100-meter dash and is in the second heat this year.

Boey’s personal best is 10.2 seconds, which occurred last year. He’s been recovering from knee surgery and missed the indoor season.

In a non-traditional track event, the Eastern men’s team will also compete 440-meter shuttle hurdle relay and the 1,600-meter sprint medley relay. The men’s team will also compete in the distance medley relay against 21 other teams.

The women’s team will run in similar events. The 400-, 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter relay teams will also compete.

“You just have to go out there and race,” senior Meghan Carney said. “We’re looking at that school record in the (3,200-meter relay team).”

The Eastern women’s team is also schedule to compete in the 400-meter shuttle hurdle relay, the 1,600-meter sprint medley relay and the distance medley relay.

“It’s sort of a reward for those kids who have been doing a great job,” Akers said. “This one’s a little bit larger group. It’s a great testament to what this team has done this year.”

Eastern has captured two outdoor team titles this season, Western Illinois’ Lee Calhoun Invitational and Southern Illinois

Edwardsville’s Gateway Classic. Last week was more impressive because the team also sent athletes to a competitive Vanderbilt invitational, and still captured the team titles at SIUE.

“I was really surprised,” Akers said. “No. 1, we went down to Vanderbilt with a lot of high hopes and we basically fulfilled almost all of those high hopes. It just comes down to competing. It comes down to competing every time. This group has been very good all yearlong about getting out there and competing and letting things happen. I haven’t seen anyone take a meet for granted or a race for granted. Hopefully, we won’t start doing that now.”

Akers said the team had originally planned to go Butler’s Stan Lyons Invite but switched to Illinois State’s Redbird Spring Invitational even also looking at SIUE’s Twilight Open.

“(Butler’s meet) really wasn’t going to be conducive for the kids we weren’t going to take to Drake,” Akers said.

Akers said the Illinois State meet would be closer and more competitive for the remaining athletes. Events begin on Saturday in Normal.

Importance of relays

Colleges and universities from all over the United States will take part in the 101st running of the Drake Relays that began Wednesday through Saturday at Drake Stadium. There will be 115 men’s university-college teams with 1,242 athletes competing. On the women’s side, 109 teams with 1,164 athletes will compete.

Athletes from 58 foreign countries, which account for 315 of the competing athletes, will be competing in the meet. These include 57 from Canada, 39 from Jamaica and 32 from Kenya.

In the high school boys division, 889 athletes have entered the Drake Relays from 170 schools. In the high school girls division, 171 teams are sending 800 athletes. There will also be 420 grade school and middle school athletes representing 59 teams from the greater Des Moines area.

There will also be 212 unattached athletes competing, 126 men and 86 women.

The road race event will also draw an estimated 2,500 runners to the Drake Relays.

Eastern event champions

In 101 years of the meet being held, Eastern has won seven events at the Drake Relays.

Eastern’s last win in the Drake Relays came in 1992. Dan Steele won the 400-meter hurdles in 1992 in 51.44 seconds, and the Panthers also won the shuttle hurdle relay that year in 58.28 seconds.

Kevin Murphy can be reached at 581-7944 or kjmurphy@eiu.edu.