AMES, Iowa – Iowa State senior Roshon Roomes has been named the recipient of the Drake Relays’ Maury White Award, given to the Most Outstanding Performer in the men’s university and invitational divisions. Roomes was a member of all three of the Cyclones’ victorious relay teams on the weekend, helping the ISU men defend their Relays Cup title.

Roomes is the fourth Cyclone men’s student-athlete and sixth Cyclone overall to win the Most Outstanding Performer award, and first this century. Jason Woods was ISU’s last men’s winner in 1999, with the other Cyclone men’s winners being John Nuttall in 1990 and Danny Harris in 1985. Cyclone women to be named Most Outstanding Performer at the Drake Relays have been Edith Nakiyingi in 1990 and Nawal El Moutawakel in 1984.

Roomes was a member of the winning relays in the sprint medley relay, 4×800-meter relay and distance medley relay, making the Cyclones the first men’s university program to win all three at the same Drake Relays since Kansas in 1954.

The highlight for Roomes and the Cyclones came on Friday evening in the 4×800, with a superstar-laden Iowa State squad aiming to take down one of the oldest Drake Relays records, Nebraska’s 7:14.89 in 1985. Roomes ran the third leg and got the stick with ISU ahead by two seconds, he put up a 1:47.88 split that put the Cyclones ahead by six seconds and running after the record, which they got in 7:12.57. The time, with Roomes joined by Jason Gomez, Daniel Nixon and Festus Lagat, broke both the Drake Relays and Iowa State’s school record and is the fifth-fastest 4x800m relay in collegiate history, the fastest run since 2011. ISU has now won the Drake Relays 4x800m relay three-straight times.

Roomes started his weekend off with a controlled performance in the sprint medley relay, anchoring for the team of Gage Clay, Joven Nelson and Eric Fogltanz in a comfortable 1:51.43 800-split to get the victory. In the distance medley relay, Roomes ran the 400m leg and got the baton in third, but fired off a huge 47.08 split, the fastest in the field, to put ISU ahead and defend their DMR crown.

A six-time All-American, six-time Drake Relays champion and three-time Big 12 champion, Roomes currently ranks No. 13 nationally in the 800-meter run this year with a 1:47.87 run at the Hayward Premiere at the beginning of April.

Roomes and the Cyclones return to competition this weekend at Kansas’ Rock Chalk Classic and Mississippi State’s Maroon & White Invite.