The Iowa State men’s and women’s track and field teams again split up and bused to two different locations in order to get the most out of weekend competition.

Athletes traveled to the Northern Iowa Meet and the Arkansas Invite in preparation for the Drake Relays and Big 12 Championships, meets that are stars the track and fieldsters shoot for during the outdoor season.

The Cyclones who went south faced a tough field, but many footed and heaved for personal bests at the Fayetteville track.

“We had a very good meet,” Women’s Coach Dick Lee said. “I feel good about where we’re at this time of year. I hope we see continued improvement this month.”

All-American Kris Curnyn continued taking the crown in the hammer throw competition. Taking first with a chuck of 181-11, she blasted her old ISU record by two feet.

Curnyn also dominated in the discuss. She tossed 159-2 to win the event. She took second in the shotput to her teammate, Lisa Griebel, whose hurled the shot 52-2 for the meet title.

Like Curnyn’s lengthy throw in the hammer, Griebel’s first-place effort in the shot also marked a personal record by two feet. Griebel also finished third in the hammer.

Dan Omara, ISU’s throwing coach, said the improvement shown by the two women was a “big surprise, but a pleasant surprise.”

“Kris is helping out Lisa as well as Lisa is helping Kris out. It is a good combination to have those two compete with each other in the shot and the hammer,” he said.

In the javelin, Cyclone Sarah Welling took second place. She, too, had a career-best toss of 134-8.

Omara said, “They’re improving each week. I feel with each meet they will continue to improve.”

On the track, Katarina Svennson clocked 59.96 in the 400-meter hurdles. The gold performance marked a career record and accomplished a season goal for the Cyclone hurdler.

ISU’s Amber Grady also knocked two seconds off her best mile time to claim second in the 1,500 (4:35.36).

Erin Bresnan and Joanne Roepke raced in the 800, finishing second and third consecutively. Bresnan, who is the Big 12’s No. 1 800-meter runner, timed 2:10.18. Roepke crossed the line in 2:11.4 to establish a personal record.

Distance runners Laurie Meythaler and Sydney Pounds had outdoor season bests in the 800 and 3,000, respectively.

In the lane of short and speedy sprints, Vitoria Gunnarsson dashed 100 meters in 11.68 for second place. Now, the newcomer ranks third on ISU’s all-time 100-meter list. She also finished sixth in the 200 with a time of 24.84.

All-Americans Quinn Harris and Saul Lempirikany led the men’s field. Each garnered runner-up finishes in their respective events — the 100-meter dash and 5,000-meter run.

Adrian Dunbar leaped and legged for fourth in the 110-meter high hurdles, while Philemon Too recorded a personal best in the 3,000-meter steeplechase for fifth place. High-jumper Joey Brunkhorst also came in fifth, soaring 6-9 3/4.

In Cedar Falls, Alienor Gilchrist took first in the 1,500. Her near-mile run took 4:43.96. Tara Sondall won the 400 in 58.77, and Anna Hauskins came in fourth in the 800. Maaike Ouwersloot footed the 3,000-meter run in 11:04.45 to claim sixth.

The top Cyclone men’s showings were by Andy Long and Brian Gilbreath. Long won the 110-meter hurdles, and Gilbreath leaped 22-9 3/4 for the top slot.

Lee said, “Everyone feels good about how the season has progressed. We want to keep improving week by week.”