Ada Anderson blew away the competition at the Iowa State Classic, winning the 800-meter dash in 2:06.54, the third fastest time in the nation at this point.

Anderson’s was one of many strong performances for the Cyclone track team during the weekend against stiff competition which included All-Americans, national champions and Olympians.

“This is the best track meet in the country. We were happy with what happened here,” said men’s head coach Steve Lynn. “You have to beat Olympians and All-Americans to place here, and we knew that, so we were pleased overall.”

Despite being in the middle of the pack for much of the race, Anderson was able to kick in an extra gear and pull ahead for a 0.25 second victory over Sheena Gooding, a graduate assistant at Illinois State who ran unattached.

“I was relaxed for the whole race. I was just waiting for a time to take my spot in the race,” Anderson said.

Anderson said she saw this event as a step for her to get ready for the upcoming Big 12 Championships. The mark automatically qualified her for the NCAA meet.

“I feel like I am getting ready for the Big 12 Championships, and from there, maybe making the NCAA Championships,” Anderson said.

Headlining the men’s champions was Jared Graham, who won the men’s 600-yard run with a time of 1:10.54.

“He gets better every single day,” Lee said. “He is learning more every time he goes out this year.”

The 600-yard run was a strong event for both the men and the women on Saturday. Sara Boisen finished third in the event with a personal best time of 1:23.29.

“Sara ran well,” said sprint coach Scott Roberts. “I think right now she is one of the top four or five in the conference.”

Corey Ylinen finished 10th in the mile run with a personal-best time of 4:07.83. Despite his strong showing, he said he is looking forward to the whole team being healthy.

“I was sick last week; some people were sick this week,” Ylinen said. “Once we get everybody together and healthy, I think times are really going to start to drop.”

Friday’s highlight for Iowa State was senior Neil Hines winning the heptathlon with a personal-best score of 5,158 points. Weight thrower Tony Stewart also had a personal best Friday night with a distance of 59 feet, 5 inches, putting him in 21st place.

“I am happy with my personal record,” Stewart said. “I hope to keep improving and see my technique get stronger as the year progresses.”

Overall, Lee said he was happy with his team’s performance, believing that it’s not quite at full strength yet.

“This meet is different, it is exciting,” Lee said.

“In some events you can finish 10th or 15th and still be completely happy with how you did. It is a tough meet, and there were great performances all-around from everybody.”

Both coaches said they are looking ahead to the Big 12 Championships.

“We will be better in two weeks than we are right now, we will have to be,” Lynn said. “It is a great conference, every event is loaded with talent.”