Ripslinger, Assumption eye fourth straight 4x800 at Drake

By Mary Albl for DyeStat 

Programming Note: The 2017 Drake Relays Presented by HyVee will be broadcast live from Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa Thursday through Saturday April 27-29 via a mix of online coverage via USATF.TV and TV coverage. To watch the USATF.TV broadcast, sign up for a RunnerSpace +PLUS subscription.  All events from the USATF.TV and NBCSN broadcast windows will be available for on-demand viewing on USATF.TV. 

For the Assumption girls track team of Davenport, Iowa, the Drake Relays represents a big opportunity similar to the state championships.   

“The Drake Relays are always one of the focal points and one of the most exciting meets that we go to as a team,” Assumption standout Joy Ripslinger said. “It’s a special tradition here in Iowa, and it’s awesome we get to be a part of it.”

Assumption is a Roman Catholic school and a Class 3A program in Iowa's four-class system. It gets a big chance to go up against the state's largest schools and leave a lasting mark on one of the most prestigious meets in the country. 

The four-day meet (high school events begin Thursday) in Des Moines features not only high schoolers, but college and professional athletes as well. It is practically a birthright for Iowans who participate in track and field, a proving ground that has been a staple for generations.  

“Most of our kids understand and appreciate how important the Drake Relays are,” Assumption girls coach Tim O’Neill said. “There’s a lot of high school teams that would die to compete at a meet like this. It is important to us. It’s an all-class meet and we get a chance to go up against the best of the best. That probably means a lot more to us.” 

History shows the Drake Relays have been good to Assumption.

The Knights enter as the three-time defending 4x800-meter relay champions. Since the 4x800 debuted in 2001, the only other school to win it three times in a row is Iowa City High. Assumption can become the first team in meet history to make it a four-peat Saturday at Drake Stadium.

“I think the expectations are high, but we can usually rise to the occasion,” Ripslinger said. “And I hope that we do.”

Ripslinger has been the face of Assumption track for the last four years. The senior middle distance standout has been the anchor for the team’s three straight 4x800 titles. Her range from 400 to 3,000 meters has allowed her to find success in the 800, the 1,500 and multiple relays.

The Knights traveled to New York City in March and won the 1,600-meter sprint medley relay at New Balance Nationals Indoor (3:59.31) with a lineup of senior Jasmine Harris, junior Mary Grace Carroll, sophomore Carly King and Ripslinger.

That quartet is coming off a SMR win at the Kansas Relays on Saturday in 4:06.74. Ripslinger also won the 1,600, edging out Molly Born of Shawnee Mission East KS, 4:55.69 to 4:56.72 for a new meet record. 

“Everybody that wants to run on a relay with Joy is going to run their best,” O’Neill said. “I think that her understanding and knowledge of the sport, her willingness to learn ... it’s really just taken her to a new level.”

Ripslinger, who is committed to the University of Arkansas, will look to defend her 800 title Friday. She will race Saturday in the 1,500 and could also run in the SMR.

Ripslinger defeated Stephanie Jenks of Linn-Mar IA last year in the 800, an event where she boasts a personal-best 2:07.51. For the sake of comparison, Nike pro Shelby Houlihan ran a high school-best time of 2:07.69 at the 2011 Drake Relays.

“Yeah, I’d like to defend the title, hopefully (I will) keep tapping down my time,” Ripslinger said. “(The 800) is a combination of speed and endurance and I work on both spectrums of that. I love the 400, too, and the 1,500 is also a race I enjoy. The 800, it’s just kind of a happy medium. It’s where I’ve found the most success in so far.”

Although Ripslinger is a big name in Iowa, she’s been overshadowed at times in a 2017 graduating class that is one of the greatest ever nationally. 

“She’s OK with being the underdog a little bit sometimes,” O’Neill said. 

It has been Ripslinger’s composure and competitive spirit that has allowed for her continual individual success, which has seeped down to her peers, her coach said.  

“She’s brought a humbleness that I’ve never seen by a high school athlete,” O'Neill said. “She just wins with so much dignity and respect for her other competitors in the race, and you don’t always see that. She’s a sweetheart. She just kills people with kindness.”

This week, Ripslinger will look to close out her final Drake Relays as a high school athlete in historic fashion. 

“She’s not someone who is going to get in your face and grab you by the shirt and say, ‘Hey let’s go!’” O’Neill said. “But she goes out and does her thing and leads by example.”