The conclusion of the 2021 Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships did not go the way Iowa State had planned in terms of team finishes, with the Cyclone men finishing seventh with 62 points and the women finishing ninth with 31, but both teams return to Ames with impressive individual performances to look back on.

Wesley Kiptoo has a career performance

During the cross country season, Wesley Kiptoo was awarded the Big 12 Men’s Runner of the Year in addition to the Big 12 Men’s Newcomer of the Year. And throughout the indoor portion of the track season, Kiptoo has cemented himself as not only one of the best runners for Iowa State, but one of the best in the country. 

At the Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships, Kiptoo swept the men’s distance events, winning the men’s 5k comfortably as well as the 3k event.

In the 5k, the sophomore transfer from Colby Community College crossed the finish line at 13:42.52, 13 seconds ahead of the next runner in the field. On Saturday, he would claim the 3k individual title with a time of 7:57.29.

While neither times were personal records for Kiptoo, they were still good enough to allow him to be the co-recipient of the Men’s High Point Award. This is the third straight year an Iowa State runner has taken home this award. 

Texas men and women win as a team

The Longhorns’ men’s team came into the weekend as the No. 3 ranked team in the country and the women were No. 4, setting the stage for a tough out for the rest of the Big 12 competition.

For the Texas women’s team, it was junior Kynnedy Flannel that had strong performances across the board. Flannel was Texas’ top scorer en route to being the co-recipient of the Women’s High Point Award.

Flannel swept the sprint double, winning both the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.25 and the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.55. 

It was Flannel’s 200-meter time that set her as one of the best sprinters in Texas history. The mark of 22.55 ranks No. 2 in the NCAA, No. 3 in the world and the third-fastest time in school history. 

For the men, it was senior Tripp Piperi that continued his dominance in the shot put event. Piperi won his sixth career Big 12 shot put title with a best throw of 68-10 3/4. 

Piperi holds the school record for Texas in the shot put. In addition to this, Piperi has competed in six Big 12 meets total in his career and won the shot put titles on all occasions. 

Cyclones claim more individual titles 

Kiptoo was not the only runner for Iowa State to take home a conference title over the weekend, with sophomore Jason Gomez and senior Cailie Logue also finishing with some individual victories. 

Logue is familiar with winning Big 12 Conference titles, securing her eighth overall title. Logue claimed first place in the 5k with a time of 16:27.10.

Logue is also back-to-back Big 12 Indoor 5k champion after winning this past weekend.

Gomez was the other Cyclone to take home a conference title in Lubbock, Texas.

Gomez won the 800-meter run in a spectacular fashion. He edged out the second place finisher by 0.01 seconds, finishing with a time of 1:48.48.

What’s next?

The Iowa State track and field team has a break and then travels to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships on March 12-13. The 2020 Championships were canceled due to the rapid spread and arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S.