July 16, 2025
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Area college track athletes see big things in 2024-25 seasons

Drew Rogers, Nevaeh Lowe and Jayon Morrow find success at the next level

By Adam Tumino
Herscher's Drew Rogers poses with his medals from state competitions throughout high school in Nov. 2021.

Herscher's Drew Rogers poses with his medals from state competitions throughout high school in Nov. 2021. (Daily Journal/Tiffany Blanchette)

A trio of area natives put their talent on display in the 2024-25 college cross country and track and field seasons.

Herscher native and 2022 graduate Drew Rogers continued to thrive in distance running at Missouri, 2023 Kankakee graduate Nevaeh Lowe helped DePaul win Big East gold, and 2024 Kankakee graduate Jayon Morrow wrapped his first season of college track at Illinois.

Rogers had a strong start to his junior year in the fall in cross country, helping lead the Tigers to a fifth-place team finish at the SEC Cross Country Championships on Nov. 1.

He finished 11th overall in the 8,000 meters, the highest finish on the team with a new personal record of 22:54.1, while earning All-SEC honors. He also had a top-five finish at the Crimson Classic on Oct. 18, where he finished fifth at 23:26.6.

He kept on rolling into the 2025 indoor track and field season, a season he capped off with a historic performance at the SEC Indoor Championships on February 27.

Rogers set a school indoor record in the 3,000, finishing the race in 7:53.61 to earn his first SEC title. He also placed fifth in the 5,000 at 13:45.49.

He wrapped the year by earning a couple of top-five finishes in the outdoor season, including another first-place finish. He won the 10,000 at the Raleigh Relays on March 27 with a PR of 28:14.27 and took fourth in the 5,000 at the Virginia Challenge on April 18 at 13:41.63, also a PR.

Nevaeh Lowe performs a celebratory backflip after helping the Kankakee girls track and field team to the IHSA Class 2A Kankakee Sectional championship in 2023.

Nevaeh Lowe performs a celebratory backflip after helping the Kankakee girls track and field team to the IHSA Class 2A Kankakee Sectional championship in 2023. (Mason Schweizer)

Lowe had several strong showings as a sophomore sprinter at DePaul for the 2025 indoor and outdoor seasons.

She ran the 60 in the indoor season, earning a pair of top-five finishes. She placed fourth at the Notre Dame Invitational on Jan. 25 (7.71 seconds) and fifth at the Blue Demon Alumni Classic on Feb. 8 (7.76).

During the outdoor season, Lowe was part of the 4x100 relay team that made program history at the Big East Outdoor Championships on May 17, winning a conference title with a school record time of 45.40. Along with Jetta Mays, Maia Mays and Sade Miller, the relay team shaved nearly a second and a half off their time over their final four meets of the season.

Lowe also placed fourth individually at the Big East Outdoor Championships with a PR of 11.91 in the 100.

Kankakee's Jayon Morrow strides over the finish line during the 100-meter dash Wednesday at the IHSA Class 2A Kankakee Sectional finals on May 17, 2023. Morrow finished in the second place slot after Marian's Braydon Waller with a time of 10.56 seconds.

Kankakee's Jayon Morrow strides over the finish line during the 100-meter dash Wednesday at the IHSA Class 2A Kankakee Sectional finals on May 17, 2023. Morrow finished in the second place slot after Marian's Braydon Waller with a time of 10.56 seconds. (Daily Journal/Tiffany Blanchette)

A former Kays teammate of Lowe’s, Morrow was also a part of a relay team that found success in the conference meet, this time in the Big Ten.

As part of the Illinois 4x400 relay along with Jackson Gilbert, Tadeas Placek and Alex Ornelas, Morrow helped the squad earn a fourth-place finish at Big Ten Indoor Championships on Feb. 28.

Morrow also ran the 60, 400 and 600 in the indoor season, earning a third-place finish in the 600 (1:24.22) at the Fighting Illini Open on Jan. 11 and fourth-place finish in the 400 (49.88) at the Fighting Illini Challenge on Jan. 25.

He ran the 4x400 relay during the outdoor season, as well as the 200 and 400. In the 200, his PR of 21.77 earned him fifth place at the Gary Wieneke Memorial on May 2. In the 400, his PR was 48.11, but it was his time of 48.36 seconds that earned him second place at the Fighting Illini Twilight Meet on April 26.

The 4x400 relay placed 10th at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships on May 17 with a season-best of 3:09.53.