The Iowa State men’s cross country team entered Saturday’s ISU Memorial Classic with hopes of giving a strong showing on its home course.

After the debacle two weeks ago in Minnesota, the team was hoping to gain back some of the respect it lost and solidify themselves as a quality Division I squad.

The Cyclones definitely did not disappoint as the team finished 3rd overall with two individuals in the top 6.

Mike Mwangong continued his strong freshmen campaign by placing 3rd overall.

His time of 24:38 was good enough to claim the top spot on ISU’s squad. Coach Kevin Bourke had nothing but good things to say about the young superstar’s showing on Saturday.

“Mike ran really well, and I am very pleased with his performance,” praised Bourke. “He beat a lot of guys with good credentials and established himself as one of the top runners in the country.”

Coming in second for the Cyclone harriers was junior Daniel Kinyua.

He covered the 8K course in an excellent time of 25:32 and has continued to show promise throughout the year. With the combination of Mwangong and Kinyua finishing first and second for the Cyclones every meet, ISU has a solid 1,2 combination that should lead the team for the rest of the year.

Coach Bourke was also very happy with the way his other runners contributed on Saturday.

“I was very pleased with the team as a whole; everybody ran a better time than four weeks ago when we were on the same course,” said Bourke. “After Minnesota, we just took things one workout at a time and continued to get better each day.”

John Sainna just missed a top 15 finish by placing 17th with a time of 26:07.

The Kenyan has had an up and down season but looks to be heading in the right direction preparing for the NCAA pre-meet.

Rounding out the top five Cyclone finishers were Matt Williams and Tait Steines.

This pair of juniors has provided solid times for Coach Bourke and have given him two runners he can count on to be consistent each meet.

Bourke and the Cyclones now turn their attention to the NCAA pre-meet held Oct. 17 in Indiana.

With 15 of the 35 teams there being ranked in the top 25, the ISU runners definitely have their work cut out for them preparing for this tough test.

“We hope to beat some ranked teams and gain some experience this weekend,” Bourke added. “A top half finish would be a major success.”

The meet this weekend will give ISU a golden opportunity to upset some of the best teams in the country and prepare all of Bourke’s runners for the Big 12 Championships that are looming on the horizon.

But don’t expect the Cyclones to overlook the importance of Saturday’s meet.

Both Coach Bourke and his runners know the chance that is before them, and will no doubt be ready to run well and prove to everybody that they belong with the nation’s elite.