The ISU cross country teams started and ended postseason competition Saturday at the NCAA Midwest Regional meet in Stillwater, Okla., hosted by Oklahoma State.

An abundance of talented runners represented 28 men’s and 24 women’s teams.

ISU men’s coach Corey Ihmels brought three runners, and sophomore Dan Taylor placed 30th out of 148 runners — just missing out on a chance to qualify for nationals.

Senior Chris Francois was the 56th runner to finish, while Kyle Rasmussen finished 114th.

“All three guys competed well,” Ihmels said. “Dan Taylor put together a good effort, while all three improved from the last meets. Overall, I am satisfied with their performance.”

The women’s squad, which had a full arsenal of seven runners, also failed to qualify any individuals for nationals. The Cyclones finished 13th out of 24 women’s teams at the event. Senior Jessica Huff placed 15th of 161 runners and led the way for Iowa State.

“Jessica had her best race of the year,” head coach Dick Lee said. “She needed a top seven or eight to qualify for nationals, so she just missed out.”

Overall, Lee said he was pleased with his runners’ showing.

“We had one of our better meets of the year,” Lee said. “Lacey Leinbaugh and Amanda Ganser had their best runs of the season. Overall, we really improved since the last few weeks — which was one of our goals.”

With the cross country season ending, both teams said they are looking forward to the track and field indoor season.

“We are excited, but we will be doing some of the same things,” Ihmels said. “We want to keep seeing progress which will lead to improvement. All of our guys will be participating in different events.”

The women’s team also looks forward to the track and field season.

“We hope to keep improving,” Lee said. “Some of the girls may take a few days off, then go off and work out on their own.”

Both coaches have a lot of things that they want to see for next year.

“We need to get out and work [in the offseason],” Ihmels said. “We need everyone committed to this program, so we can take it to the next level. One of our goals next year is to get to nationals as a team.”

“We hope to gain more endurance,” Lee said “We need continuous time of training, get a base and stay healthy.”

Both coaches said the seniors will be missed.

“We only lose two guys, Chris Francois and Dan Wiltgen,” Ihmels said. “Chris has done a real good job, while Dan was hurt all season. They have done really good things for the program and will definitely be missed.”

Huff ran her last meet for Iowa State Saturday.

“We will miss Jessica’s leadership; she is a tough one to replace,” Lee said. “She always gave us her best shot every time. But luckily for her track is her number one love.”