Iowa State men’s track athletes Simeon Wright and Matt Thomas finished in first place, holding each other’s hand in the air at the Midnight Madness 5,000 meters at the Gingko Festival held on Main Street in Ames on Saturday. Wright and Thomas finished in first place with a time 15:40 to become the champions of the largest 5,000-meter race in Midnight Madness history.

“The heat made it tough. It was my first race this season,” said Thomas. “Time wasn’t a big deal. I felt well.”

Representing the Cyclone women’s squad was Sydney Pounds, who finished in first place with a time of 17:39.

“I ran a pretty good time. It helped that I was pushed by my teammates. It was really good competition,” Pounds said. Jana Peterson, Amber Grady and Stacy Armstrong were the teammates that Pounds was referring to. Peterson finished in second place with a time of 17:53 while Grady finished in fourth place with a time of 18:30. Armstrong finished in sixth place with a time of 20:10

This year’s Midnight Madness race, which actually consists of a 5,000- and a 10,000-meter race, had more combined competitors in its 25-year history.