The ISU men’s track team completed its indoor season at the Big 12 Championships last weekend in Lincoln, Neb.

The Cyclones fought hard, but came up short in the team standings, finishing in 11th place. Now, they are gearing up for the outdoor season.

Iowa State stood in seventh place after the first day of competition before falling in the standings on the second day.

“I felt that, especially Friday, we had some good things happen, but we ran out of gas on Saturday,” ISU head coach Steve Lynn said. “It was a frustrating meet, in some respects, in the fact that we came up just short in several areas.”

The Cyclones finished in ninth place in four events; the top eight places earn points.

Freshman Nik Moser claimed sixth in the 400-meter dash.

“It felt good, because I came in and nobody really knew who I was, being a freshman and not really known in track yet.” Moser said.

Lynn was pleased with his freshman’s performance.

“I thought Nik, for a freshman, first time there, did a good job,” he said.

Sophomore Daniel Kaczmarczyk claimed fifth in the long jump with a leap of 23’8″. Last season, as a freshman, Kaczmarczyk won the Big 12 long jump title.

“Daniel Kaczmarcyzk is a great competitor for us. He had his first bad day at Iowa State,” Lynn said. “He’s been a solid, consistent guy all along – he will continue to be. I look for some really big things from him as we go along here.”

Kaczmarczyk’s finish in the long jump may have been disappointing, but he finished ninth in the triple jump, just missing the finals in the first meet he had attempted it, Lynn said.

Already qualified provisionally for the NCAA Championships in the long jump, Kaczmarczyk and the rest of the Cyclones will have one final chance to automatically qualify at the NCAA Qualifier meet Friday at the Lied Recreation Center.

Kaczmarczyk is going into the meet nursing a tender ankle.

“If he’s healthy he’ll jump,” Lynn said.

Lynn is excited about the outlook for the outdoor season.

“We’ll be better outdoors, no question about it,” he said.

Lynn said the Cyclones will be picking up several more athletes for the outdoor season, including Matt Murdock in the javelin, Joey Brunkhorst in the high jump and several middle distance runners including Ryan Pence, Dan Reis, Craig Cartier and Kevin Nantulya.

Iowa State may lose Moser for the outdoor season, as he will be taking part of spring football as a defensive back.

“I don’t know how much of it I’m going to run with football,” Moser said. “If there is a chance, I will run. I would like to keep improving.”

Lynn said Moser, a two-time state champion in the 200 and 400 hurdles from Fort Dodge, is a special athlete.

“He’s done a great job on limited practice. He has heart. That is one of the things that you really have to have in order to be any good,” he said.

Moser will compete in the 200, the 400 and the 400 hurdles in the outdoor season.

“We’ll try to get in a meet before spring football starts, and he’s done before the Drake Relays,” Lynn said. “He’ll be anxious to get back out there again and get going.”