The outdoor track and field season has produced solid results, so far, for the men’s and women’s track teams. The teams were split up this weekend, with some members competing in Tempe, Ariz., at the Sun Angel Classic, while others stayed closer to home, to compete at the Jim Duncan Invitational in Des Moines.

The adjustment to outdoor competition with different events and different settings has been kind to the Cyclones, especially over the weekend, as they recorded 27 personal bests. The men’s track team’s efforts were highlighted by the 4×100 relay team that came home second with a time of 40.47 seconds, just behind the relay team from Syracuse University, which won with a time of 40.43.

The men’s throwers took home first and second place in the hammer throw competition, with junior Josh Koglin winning with a throw of 195 feet, 10 inches; sophomore Zack Richards finished second. Koglin’s and Richards’ throws at the Sun Angel Classic now rank second, all-time, in the hammer throw. The women’s throwers were led by junior Britta Christofferson, who placed fourth in the hammer throw. Her throw of 186 feet, five inches now ranks second on the Cyclones’ all-time list for the hammer throw. Junior Emily Nugent had a strong showing in the open division of the hammer throw, with a third place finish, followed closely by Laishema Hampton, who finished fourth for the Cyclones.

On-the-track activities were highlighted by senior Lashawn Wright’s performances in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. The Mesquite, Texas-native finished second in the 100 and fifth place in the 200. Junior Jenna Caffrey brought another fifth place finish to the Cyclones with her race in the 100-meter hurdles. Fellow hurdler Kianna Elahi finished sixth in the open division of the 400-meter hurdles.

Senior runner Dan Fadgen led the Cyclones at Drake University for the Jim Duncan Invitational with a first place finish in the 1,500-meter run. Fadgen finished with race with a time of 3 minutes, 53.02 seconds to take the victory.

Junior Myranda Casterline finished in third place in the 100-meter hurdles to lead the Cyclone women in Des Moines. The Cyclones will travel west next weekend to compete in three different competitions.

The squads will be split up yet again, with some athletes participating in different meets, while still remaining in the state of California. The Cyclones will compete at the Mount Sac Relays in Walnut, Calif., the Beach Invitational in Cerritos, Calif., or the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, Calif. This will be the final weekend of competition before Iowa State heads to compete at the Drake Relays, one of the most prestigious track and field competitions in the nation. The Drake Relays is April 21–24 in Des Moines.