Two of Iowa State’s best will make their debuts at Razorback Invitational
Iowa State sophomore Tatiana Aholou runs in the 60 meter dash the Cyclone Invite on Jan 23 in Lied Recreation Athletic Center. Aholou won the event for the Cyclones. (Photo courtesy of LUKE LU/Iowa State Athletics)
January 28, 2021
The Cyclone track and field team is preparing to run in the Razorback Invitational this weekend in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
This esteemed meet will be filled with some of the nation’s top programs like No. 1 ranked Arkansas, No. 10 USC and No. 22 Georgia. This will be Iowa State’s toughest meet to date, but it has built up momentum leading up to this weekend.
One thing to keep an eye on for the Cyclones is they will have one of the program’s best runners making his indoor debut for the season.
Junior distance runner Wesley Kiptoo is scheduled to run in the men’s 3k on Saturday. Although Kiptoo’s Cyclone career isn’t over yet, he has already made himself one of the program’s best for Head Coach Martin Smith and company.
Kiptoo, a transfer from Colby Community College, was named Big 12 Men’s Runner of the year and Big 12 Men’s Co-newcomer of the year for the 2020-21 season.
But Kiptoo will be facing stout competition in his first meet of the year. Arkansas’ Ryan Murphy is also set to run in the men’s 3k, and he currently holds the NCAA’s No. 18 spot in the event. The men’s 3,000-meter run has a scheduled start time of Saturday at 3:18 p.m.
One name to pay close attention to for Georgia is sophomore star sprinter Matthew Boling. Boling will be set to compete in the men’s 60-meter dash, 200-meter dash and long jump. Boling was voted SEC Men’s Freshman Runner of the year last year, ranks in the Bulldogs all-time top-10 in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.68.
Over on the women’s side of the meet, Iowa State will be concentrated solely on sprints, hurdles and jumps.
Sophomore Tatiana Aholou will be making her season debut in the long jump on Friday. Aholou has jumped in previous seasons, but this will be her first time doing it this year. Normally, Aholou focuses on the 60-meter sprint and the 60-meter hurdles as she is placed in ISU’s all-time top-10 for both events.
The Razorback Invitational will kick off with the men’s 60-meter hurdles Friday at 11:45 a.m. Event coverage is available on the SEC Network+ via WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
