DES MOINES — Rarely in track and field are things guaranteed, but with South Tama County alum JoJo Tyynismaa two things are: appearing at the Drake Relays and competing in multiple events. With the 115th edition of the Drake Relays upon us, Tyynismaa came through once again.

Kicking off her busy Friday was a spot on Wartburg’s 4×100-meter relay. Being the second leg, Tyynismaa had a long carry of the stick down the backstretch before handing off and preparing for her next event in less than three hours. The Knights’ quartet took 15th out of 31 teams in a time of 48.14 seconds, failing to advance to the finals.

Next up for Tyynismaa was the 100 hurdles, an event Tyynismaa has taken to Division III nationals. The combination of wind, a competitor falling and a bit of an off race, Tyynismaa finished fifth in her heat and 24th overall in 14.63.

Up next was the 400 hurdles — Tyynismaa’s signature event in which she won the Class 3A state championship in 2022 and finished third in the nation this past outdoor season. Running a time of 1:01.40, Tyynismaa finished 11th overall and acknowledged the level of competition she was racing.

“When Coach (Marcus) Newsom was recruiting me he would say ‘you won’t have to run as often in college meets,’ which has been the complete opposite of what has happened, but I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Tyynismaa said. “I really love having all the reps and being able to compete in different events. If I’m competing at a meet and only have two events I really don’t know what to do with myself.”

After getting some sleep and returning to the stadium, the shuttle hurdle relay was her last event.

Leading off for the Knights, Tyynismaa positioned herself in the lead. The Knights took the win in heat two, waiting for two more heats, and eventually finished fifth in 59.68.

That wrapped up Tyynismaa’s sixth spin around the Drake Relays.

“We have some out of state people on the team this year who have never been to Drake, it was so cool getting to show them around,” she said. “When my older siblings were competing here I didn’t really get to go but once I got to high school it was on and I loved it.

“I’ve been here a long time. I definitely love being in this environment. It’s super fun having all these track fans here to watch someone or just because they love what we do.”