Maeve Bowen-Burt had the lead coming off the 300-meter turn; the only thing standing between her and becoming a Drake Relays champion was the final two hurdles. She leapt over the first one cleanly. Coming up to the last hurdle, she grazed her foot on the hurdle, stumbled slightly, held her balance, and powered through the finish line with a time of 1:02.01. Finishing as a Drake Relays champion.
“I was just thinking keep your form, don’t fall, and finish through the line,” Bowen-Burt said. Bowen-Burt was the only Little Hawk to place first at the 2026 Drake Relays.
The 400-meter hurdles are often regarded as one of the hardest track events to run, combining the stamina and grit of the 400 meters with the added hardship of leaping over hurdles every 35 meters. Bowen-Burt was a known 400-meter runner last year, and this year she is adding the hurdles.
“Definitely going over the hurdles in general is a challenge,” Bowen-Burt said. “I have just tried to keep polishing my form and making sure it’s sharp.”
Bowen-Burt has been a renowned track and field athlete since her middle school years at South East Junior High. Last year, as a freshman on varsity at City High.
“Not only is Maeve a great competitor and an elite athlete, but she is also humble, kind, and very supportive of her teammates,” coach Terry Coleman said, “Her lasting impact will be on how she has supported all of those around her.”
As a freshman, Bowen-Burt’s best time in the 400-meter dash was 1:00.20. This year, she has cut off almost two full seconds, posting a 58.23. Coleman claimed that her two greatest areas of growth from freshman to sophomore year were strength and confidence.
“She has really dedicated herself to the weight room over the past year, which has been a major reason for her improvement,” Coleman said, “This year, she knows what she is capable of, and that has a significant impact on her performance.”
Since Bowen-Burt is only a sophomore, she and her coaches see a lot of potential. She has personal goals of winning the conference meet, qualifying for state, and later becoming a place winner at state.
“The most important goals for Maeve are those she has for herself, and those goals are big.” Coleman said, “School records, state titles, and national recognition are all on the table for her as she moves through the rest of this season and her junior and senior years.”
