After two weeks competing separate from one another, the Iowa State men’s and the women’s track and field teams were back in action for the Iowa State Classic in Lied Recreation Athletic Center in Ames.

There were solid performances all around for the Cyclones as they inch closer to the Big 12 Championships. 

Vlahovic continues to build momentum

For the second week in a row, Katarina Vlahovic proved why she is one of the best hurdle-runners in the country.

The sophomore from Canada dominated on Feb 5. in the Doc Hale Elite Meet, setting a new personal record in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.27. This mark was also good enough to put her at the No. 4 spot in Iowa State history and No. 15 in the NCAA.

And on Day Two of the Iowa State Classic on Saturday, Vlahovic won the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.29, two seconds off her personal record last weekend.

Vlahovic is coming on at the right time this season, consistently making progress each meet of this indoor season.

The arrival of COVID-19 in the United States last March cut last season short, meaning there were no Big 12 or NCAA Championships. So this upcoming postseason is Vlahovic’s first time trying to ensure that she has a spot in both, and she is looking to be in a solid position come postseason time.

Mid-Distance dominates for Iowa State

The Iowa State mid-distance team came out firing on day one of the Iowa State Classic on Friday.

Sophomore transfer Jason Gomez added to the quite impressive resume he’s made for himself with a personal record in the 1,000-meter run.

Gomez would finish second overall with a time of 2:19.11. This was good enough for a new school record for Iowa State and also a mark good enough to put Gomez as the third fastest in collegiate history.

The winner of the 1,000-meter run was seasoned veteran Festus Lagat. Lagat is a four-time All-American and has earned First Team All-American honors in a number of events in his Cyclone career.

The senior from Kenya was running unattached and would finish the race with a mark of 2:18.98. This is a new personal record for Lagat and a new meet record as well.

Number of PRs across the board for Iowa State

Iowa State had a handful of personal records in various events on both day one and two of the Iowa State Classic.

Freshman Kevin Sakson would have a day, throwing three personal bests in the shot put. Sakson would finish seventh and end the day with a best throw of 57-6.5. This distance would be good enough for Sakson to sneak into the Iowa State top-10 list at No. 10.

In the women’s 400-meter dash, freshman Bria Barnes would move into the top-10 all-time list for Iowa State. Barnes would finish with a time of 55.70 which is also a new personal best.

Finally, in the men’s 3,000-meter run, there were a pair of runners for Iowa State who would record new personal bests. Sophomore Jeffrey Pederson and Freshman Noah Kohut-Jackson would break their previous records in the event. Pederson would finish with a time of 8:23.11 and Kohut Jackson would finish with a time of 8:30.74.