DES MOINES, IOWA -The Drake Relays high school girls division features five returning individual champions from last year headed by record holders Katie Flood, a senior from Dowling Catholic, and Hannah Willms, a senior from Dike-New Hartford.

Flood set a record in the 3,000 in 9:44.96 as a freshman and has the opportunity to become the first four-time champion in the race that was first contested in 1992. She won the 2008 Drake Relays title in 9:56.23 and captured the 2009 race in 10:05.48. She set an Iowa all-time best of 9:42.17 to win the 2007 state meet.

Flood, who is the reigning Iowa Class 4A state champion in the 3,000, could receive a challenge from senior teammate Ashlie Decker, who won the 2008 Iowa Class 4A individual cross-country title. Flood also won the inaugural 1,500-meter run in 4:33.92 at the 2007 Drake Relays.

Northeast's Morgan Casey, who was third in the 2009 Drake Relays 3,000, also returns.

Willms, who is seeking her third straight Drake Relays title, set a meet record of 5-11 last year and leaped 6-0.25 to set an Iowa all-time girls' prep mark.

Defending Iowa Class 4A champion Jessica Gehrke of Iowa City West returns to defend her Drake Relays title in the long jump.

The best race of Drake Relays weekend in the high school girls' division might be the 800-meter run where Sioux City East junior Shelby Houlihan is the returning champion. She was second in the Iowa Class 4A meet last year, running a blazing 2:08.97. Teammate Ellen Dougherty was third at Drake and fourth in the Iowa Class 4A meet while Flood, last year's Drake runner-up, was third at the state meet in 2:11.16.

Houlihan also will be out to defend her Drake Relays title in the 1,500. Flood and Casey were second and third in the race, respectively, last year. Flood won the Iowa Class 4A state title, while Casey is the defending champion in the Iowa Class 2A meet.

Indianola high jumper Noah Kittleson and Dike-New Hartford long jumper Sid Hanson are back to defend titles they won at the 2009 Drake Relays.

Kittleson went 6-9 to claim his second career Drake Relays crown after winning the high jump at the 2007 Drake Relays. The senior won the Iowa State Class 4A crown as a freshman and a junior.

He is expected to face a stern test from Southeast Polk sophomore Tyler Donels (fifth at Drake in 2009). Donels has already gone 6-10 this spring.
   
Hanson, a senior, won the 2009 Relays long jump crown (22-9.5) on his final attempt after also placing sixth in the high jump. He is the defending 2009 Iowa Class 2A champion (22-2.75). He has already leaped 22-2 this spring but must overcome state leader and Class 4A state champion Kenny Gilmore, a junior at Davenport Central, who already has a 22-7.5 effort to his credit. Gilmore bested Hanson in the one class Dickinson Relays earlier this year.
  
This could also be the year for Denison-Schleswig's Brandon Scherff, a senior, who has twice been runner-up in the shot put.
  
The three hurdle races shape up to be a dandy with a record possible in the 4 x 110 meter shuttle hurdle relay, which debuted a year ago with Cedar Rapids Washington winning in 58.28. Cedar Rapids Kennedy returns its entire unit of Cameron Bradley, TJ Mitchell, Ryan Dusil and Jake Losch who won the 2009 Iowa Class 4A title in 57.85. The Cougars were third at Drake a year ago.
  
Mid-Prairie's versatile Tanner Miller, Hudson's Mat Finn and Linn-Mar's Kyle Dunn could lock up in the 400-meter hurdles. Miller, eighth at Drake last year, came back to win Class 2A in 53.07, edging Finn in a photo finish that went to the tens of thousandths. The two seniors will be pushed by Dunn, a junior, who won Class 4A in 52.70.
  
In the 110 meter high hurdles, Eddyville-Blakesburg's Jacob Batterson, the reigning Iowa Class 2A champion (14.46 with a best of 14.21) looms as the leader but could get tested by a solid group including Dunn, Miller, and Donels, who was injured the second half of his freshman season.

The Drake Relays high school division will feature 15 girls' events and 15 boys' events. For more information on the Drake Relays, visit the website at www.godrakebulldogs.com.