Iowa State split its track and field teams this weekend, with some getting to compete at Drake Stadium in Des Moines for the Jim Duncan Invitational, while others shipped out to College Station, Texas for the 44 Farms Invitational.
Sprinters shine at Jim Duncan Invite, distance dominates
In a meet full of in-state talent, Iowa State made its presence known at the Jim Duncan Invitational in Des Moines Friday.
In the men’s and women’s 100 meter dash, sophomore Amari Laing and junior Mikey McClain each claimed top three spots. Laing sprinted to second in the women’s race in 12.43 seconds, while McClain finished fourth in the men’s race with a 10.55.
In the 400 meter dash, the Cyclone women claimed three top-10 spots, with freshman Karynne David claiming first with a PR of 55.59, followed by sophomore Cameron Moon and her PR of 56.73. Freshman Ellie Lynch claimed ninth with a time of 1:00.21.
Their successes continued in the 200 alongside McClain, all claiming top-three finishes. David took second with a 24.42 with Moon right behind her, running a PR of 24.82. McClain won the men’s 200 with a time of 21.23.
In the 1500 meter run, the Cyclone women claimed second through sixth and ninth through 12th. Junior Riley Beach led the charge and claimed second, running a personal best time of 4:20.60, good enough for the ninth fastest time in that event in school history. Sophomore Sydney Morrell also ran a personal best of 4:28.06 to finish sixth.
The men’s 1500 saw junior Emanuel Galdino and sophomore Devan Kipyego each take the top two places, with Galdino running a PR of 3:40.09 for eighth all-time for Iowa State and Kipyego taking second with a PR of 3:40.09 for ninth all-time. Juniors Nathan Pestka and Hanibal Haile each ran PRs, with Pestka placing sixth in 3:47.53 and Haile placing ninth in 3:48.62.
In the men’s and women’s discus, sophomore Katie Strotman and senior Thai Thompson both threw PRs while taking on a tough field, with Strotman throwing 135-feet 1-inch and placing fifth while Thompson threw for 120-feet 1-inch, placing 15th. Freshman Candra King also placed fifth in the hammer throw, throwing a distance of 160-feet 11-inches.
In the women’s long jump, freshman Maia Denge-Hagen and Laing each had top five finishes. Laing placed second with a jump of 18-feet 5 ¾-inches and Denge-Hagen placed fifth with a jump of 18-feet 1 ¾-inches. She continued her success into the high jump, tying for third with a jump of 5-feet 3-inches.
Cyclones tackle tough talent at 44 Farms Invitational
With action starting in the women’s heptathlon and men’s decathlon, senior Kirsten Fisher struggled in the heptathlon. Despite her pair of PRs in the 100 meter hurdles and shot put, she finished in last place of the 29 athletes who completed all seven events.
Sophomore Cooper Spurgeon and freshman Chase Lathrop took 12th and 13th, while freshman Tristan Rheingans finished 18th, the last of the athletes who completed all 10 events.
In the men’s and women’s hammer, junior Garret Wagner had a personal best throw of 192-feet 10-inches and advanced to ninth on Iowa State’s all-time leaderboard in that event. On the women’s side, senior Kaitlyn Burson threw 186-feet 10-inches to place ninth.
All four of the Cyclone discus throwers finished in the top 20. Seniors Daniel Norris and Cam Jones took 11th and 13th, with throws of 173-feet 2-inches and 172-feet 4-inches. Freshman Brandon Fischer threw for 164-feet 9-inches, placing 18th, while sophomore Lucas Morrison PRed with a throw of 160-feet 9-inches, placing 19th.
In the women’s and men’s long jump, junior Ava Cinnamo and sophomore Justin Gleason faced a stacked field. Cinnamo jumped 17-feet 9-inches and placed 36th in women’s, while Gleason jumped 23-feet 5 ¼-inches for 15th in men’s.
Sophomore Nathan Vincent was the lone Cyclone in the javelin. Vincent finished 12th out of the 24, throwing a distance of 183’ 2”.
In the men’s and women’s shot put, sophomore Ella O’Neall threw for 45-feet 3 ½-inches and placed 24th of the women, while Fischer threw for 51-feet 1 ¾-inches and placed 26th. In addition, Jones placed third with a throw of 62-feet 5-inches.
During hurdle action, Cinnamo had a PR in the 400 meter hurdles, running a 1:02.89 and placing 16th on the women’s side. While junior Alec Carr didn’t PR, he placed 13th on the men’s side, running a 52.01.
Freshman Aiden Jacobsen placed 23rd with a 54.96 and sophomore Grayson Hartman placed 25th with a time of 56.01. The next day, freshman Riyah Burns placed 14th in the women’s 100 meter hurdles, running a 13.90.
Carr and Hartman raced with sophomore Jack Latham and freshman Joseph Purbrick in the 110 meter hurdles. Carr and Latham placed 12th and 13th, separated by only six thousandths of a second. Hartman placed 22nd, running a 14.38 and Purbrick placed 30th, running a 14.52.
Closing out the meet, junior Rachel Joseph took second in the women’s 400 meter dash, running a 51.10. Four Cyclone women and two Cyclone men competed in the 800 meter run.
Juniors Makayla Clark and Kaia Holtkamp took fourth and sixth, Clark with a 2:07.27 and Holtkamp a 2:10.12. Sophomore Camryn Hubbard ran a 2:10.99 and freshman Keelee Leitzen ran a 2:15.87.
Next week, the men’s and women’s teams look to make their mark at the Bryan Clay Invite in Azusa, California and the Kansas Relays in Lawrence, Kansas. Action in Azusa will take place Wednesday through Friday, while action in Lawrence will take place from Thursday through Saturday.
