After a successful meet at the Jim Duncan Invitational on Friday, Head Coach Martin Smith and his team prepare for yet another split weekend. A portion of the team will travel Friday and Saturday to Waco, Texas, for the Michael Johnson Invitational, and the rest of the team will journey Friday to Charlottesville, Virginia, for the Virginia Challenge. 

It was the breakout performance from distance runner Janette Schraft that stole headlines at the Jim Duncan Invitational. The freshman from Glenwood, Iowa, competed in her first outdoor meet for Smith, and it was her first time running in the steeplechase as well. Schraft went on to post a mark of 10:36.26, which is a new personal record and good enough to put her at the No. 5 spot all-time in the Iowa State record books.

Another Iowa State runner with a notable performance from the Jim Duncan Invitational is redshirt freshman Gable Sieperda. 

Sieperda competed in the men’s 1,500-meter run and lead the pack almost the entire race. Iowa State went 1-2-3 in the event, and Sieperda took home the victory, posting a mark of 3:52.72.

The men head into the weekend ranked as the No. 9 team in the nation, one spot down from last weekend, and the women are still currently not ranked. The Texas Longhorns have been off to a hot start in the outdoor season, and they will also be making the trip to the Michael Johnson Invitational. 

Texas Head Coach Edrick Floréal has both the men and the women ranked inside the top 10 nationally. The men currently sit at the No. 7 spot and the women are ranked No. 3 in the country. 

The women of Texas hold nine NCAA top-10 marks, led by Tara Davis with her NCAA-leading long jump. On the other side of things, the men hold six NCAA top-10 marks, led by O’Brien Wasome in the triple jump and Steffin McCarter in the long jump. Both jumpers currently sit at the No. 1 spot in the country in their respective events.

The Michael Johnson Invitational will begin at noon Friday with the men’s hammer throw. The running events will kick off at 7 p.m with the women’s 1,500-meter run.

The Virginia Challenge will begin at 11 a.m. Friday with the women’s hammer throw, and the running events will begin at 3 p.m. with the women’s 100-meter dash.