It has been a long season, but somehow six

months, 23 meets and a couple hundred-thousand meters later, the

ISU track team has finally reached the NCAA

Championships. 

For four of the eight Cyclones headed to the

NCAA Championships, there is nothing to hold back. Senior runners

Kiel Uhl, Brandon Rooney, Lashawn Wright and Lisa Koll will all be

competing in what will be their last events in an ISU

uniform. 

“At conference, things go slower, so it’s a

lot easier to double up,” Koll said. “It’s going to be quite the

test this weekend to try and double and try to win [both the 5,000-

and 10,000-meter]. But I figure it’s my last NCAA meet, so you have

to take a shot.”

While Koll has competed in both events in the

past, she has never competed in both events at nationals.

But after breaking the record for fastest time

in the 10,000-meter race earlier this season, Koll does not believe

she has anything more to prove, and would not force herself to

break a record if she was in position to do so.

“I think if I’m way ahead of the field, I’ll

relax,” Koll said. “I ran it really fast earlier this year, and I

don’t think I have anything to prove, as far as time is concerned.

I think it would mean a lot more for me to pull off a double win in

the [5,000 and 10,000] than to reach a personal record in the

10,000.”

Joining Koll in the 10,000-meter are distance

runners Semehar Tesfaye, junior in chemical engineering and Betsy

Saina, sophomore in child, adult and family services.

After a strong showing at the Big 12 and NCAA

Regional competition, Coach Corey Ihmels expects yet another strong

performance from his athletes.

He especially hopes to see the success of some

of the Cyclones’ most successful and experienced athletes motivate

the rest of the team to find another level of performance during

the competition.

“I think the athletes we have going to

nationals this weekend will show up and understand that [distance

runner Hillary Bor and Koll] are going to come in and try to win a

couple titles,” Ihmels said. “I think if [the other athletes] see

they’re going to do that, then the rest will try to do the

same.”

Bor, senior in accounting, will get another

shot at the Steeplechase after losing his shoe in the NCAA Regional

competition.

Despite Koll and Bor being two of the most

prominent athletes to compete in the upcoming championships, the

Cyclones are sending six other athletes to compete in their own

respective events.

Along with Koll, Uhl will be competing in the

men’s 10,000-meter race, while Wright and Rooney will be competing

in their last races, as well. Rooney will go for the win in the

1,500-meter, while Wright will try to leave Eugene a winner in the

200-meter dash.

Ihmels could not hide his happiness for Uhl

and his accomplishment of making it to the championships.

“He’s one of the first guys I recruited out of

the state of Iowa that was one of the top kids in the state, who

said he was going to come in and help turn things around,” Ihmels

said. “I think he’s just missed being an All-American two or three

times, he’s been real consistent for us.”

Rounding out the rest of the Cyclones

competing at the championships is hurdler Kianna Elahi, junior in

chemical engineering, who will be competing in the 400-meter

hurdles.

All events begin Wednesday and continue

through Sunday.