Cyclone Saul Lempirikany led the Iowa State cross-country team to a 15th-place ranking in the NCAA Men’s Cross Country Championships on Nov. 24.

In his first national appearance, Lempirikany footed himself to a 25th-place finish, which was enough to earn him All-American status.

Lempirikany just made the mark with a time of 30:12 for the 10K loop. The 25th spot was the final position that qualified a runner for this honor.

In the 179-man field, UCLA’s Mebrahtom Keflezighi took the cake with a time of 28:54. His closest competitor, Michigan’s Kevin Sullivan, chased him at a six-second distance for second place. Washington State’s Brnard Lagat took third with a time of 29:05.

For ISU, Cyclone David Lichoro finished second, followed by Samuel Magu, Simeon Wright, Matt Williams and Tait Steines.

Their performance at nationals was not what the Cyclone leggers expected or wished for, as the team had its sights on a higher finish. Still, the runners were glad to make the trip despite their less than best showing.

So was their coach.

Coach Kevin Bourke said he wasn’t disappointed with the meet. He said Samuel Magu ran well, and Simeon Wright “had one of his best races of the year, which showed signs of how he looked last year.”

It was Wright’s last cross-country appearance for ISU.

Wright said the season was disappointing altogether for him, but he was happy about his final run. “It was better than I had run earlier this year.,” he said.

It was his fourth appearance at the NCAA championships.

Bourke added that the national competition was “a good experience” for red-shirt freshman Williams and true freshman Steines. He said having a national competition under their feet will help them to be less intimidated in future contests.

And certainly, Bourke was happy that Lempirikany picked up an All-American title.

“We have had an All-American every year since 1992,” he said.

Lempirikany was also happy to be All-American, but was not thrilled with his performance. He said he didn’t meet his expectations because he believed he was capable of running in the top 10. Lempirikany also said he expected the Cyclones to be a top-10 team.

But things don’t always go as expected.

Unfortunately, Cyclone Lichoro struggled with frostbite on his hands and forearms, which he had acquired during the regional meet on Nov. 15. Bourke said the frostbite was physically and mentally disturbing to Lichoro.

Another mishap involved Kevin Farrow, ISU’s second man. He did not finish the race due to a side stitch, or cramp, which also pushed him out of a finish at the 1996 national meet. The stitch not only hurt the team’s placing, but was a major let- down for Farrow.

For a good portion of the race, Farrow said he felt pretty good and was “probably in 25th position and moving very nicely.”

While nearing four-mile mark, the stitch set in. He decided to carry on for nearly a half-mile, but it became unbearable.

“Once it gets you, it really gets you,” he said. “It comes so fast, you can’t go any further,” Farrow said.

Looking back on the season and the trip to nationals, Lempirikany said he had a good season and was happy about the fact that the team received a wild card for the national meet.

Even if the team hadn’t made it, Lempirikany would have run individually because of his third-place regional finish.

“It was nice for the whole team to go there,” he said.