The men’s cross country team was back in action this weekend, placing 13th out of a field of 36 teams in this weekend’s pre-nationals meet at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind.

The race featured top teams from around the country, including Big 12 foes No. 4 Colorado and No. 10 Oklahoma State. Colorado won the race by placing five runners in the top 30, and Oklahoma State took eighth, proving just how strong the conference is this year. The field was split into two races – blue and white – because of the large number of teams.

Kiel Uhl led the Cyclones with an 18th-place finish out of 243 runners. Guor Marial finished in 40th place and David Rotich finished 98th. The trio has been a big reason why the team has been ranked in the top 25 each of the last three weeks.

“Compared to last year we have a lot more depth from one through nine,” Uhl said. “Last year we would have never imagined being able to put together a team that could make it to nationals, so we’ve come pretty far.”

Kevin Born (108th), Jayden Russ (141st), Daniel Fadgen (173rd) and Ricky Reusser (231st) rounded out the top seven for the Cyclones.

Iowa State competes next in the Big 12 championships on Oct. 27 in Lawrence, Kan.