AMES – The Iowa State cross country teams began their postseason at the Big 12 Championship in Lawrence, Kansas on Friday, and both the men and women cemented themselves as national title contenders despite not taking home any team hardware.
The Big 12 Championship featured 16 teams in the women’s 6k, including six of the top 20 ranked teams in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association national poll. The men’s 8k featured 13 teams, four of which were ranked in the top 10 of the USTFCCCA national poll.
Men’s Recap
The Iowa State men entered the Big 12 Championship unanimously ranked No. 1 in the nation. Despite the confidence of the voters in the national polls, there was a glaring elephant in the room regarding how the Cyclones would perform, as several unannounced runners were suspended from the team for violation of team rules.
While no more information has been released regarding the suspensions, Cyclone cross country fans can breathe a sigh of relief as the consensus top six runners competed in the meet Friday.
Despite the Cyclones running their expected national title team, they ultimately took silver, behind No. 2 Oklahoma State. Regardless of the unexpected result, the Cyclones have a strong foundation to build on as they prepare for the rest of the postseason.
Iowa State had five runners finish in the top 15 of the meet, meaning that each of the athletes was announced as a member of the All-Big 12 team.
Sophomore Robin Kwemoi Bera improved from last season’s fourth-place finish at the Big 12 Championship to finish third. Bera will be in contention for the individual title at the Midwest Regionals on Nov. 14.
Sophomore Joash Ruto and senior Rodgers Kiplimo finished fifth and tenth respectively at the meet. Both runners made impressive jumps in placement from last year’s competition, where they finished 13th and 24th.
Graduate Sanele Masondo in 12th and freshman Meshack Kimutai in 13th rounded out Iowa State’s top runners at the meet. This was Masondo’s second consecutive year of earning All-Big 12 honors, while Kimutai will aim to make top-15 finishes a regular occurrence at the Big 12 Championship.
While Iowa State had five runners earn All-Conference honors, they still fell short to Oklahoma State by 35.7 seconds as a team.
The Cowboys had six runners make the 2025 All-Big 12 team, with junior Brian Musau earning his third straight Big 12 Men’s Championship title. No. 5 Colorado, No. 8 BYU and Kansas rounded out the top five teams at the meet.
The Cyclone men will look for their revenge against Oklahoma State at the Midwest Regionals in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Nov. 14.
Women’s Recap
The Cyclone ladies began the Big 12 Championships as the sixth-ranked team in the nation and the second-ranked team in the Big 12, and Friday’s match reinforced the thought that Iowa State could cause some havoc as the underdogs for the remainder of the postseason.
The Cyclones finished firmly in second behind No. 1 BYU and ahead of No. 7 West Virginia and No. 11 Oklahoma State as the top finishers at the meet.
Iowa State had three freshmen finish in the top seven individually, as true freshmen Mercyline Kirwa and Mercy Kibet placed fifth and seventh, respectively, with redshirt freshman Betty Kipkore sandwiched between the two in sixth place.
This is all three runners’ first time earning All-Big 12 honors, and they will likely serve as cornerstones for the squad for several years.
Senior Maelle Porcher earned All-Conference honors for the third consecutive year with her 14th-place finish. Porcher improved her time every year she competed in the Big 12 Championship, finishing with a time of 19:56.2 Friday.
Sophomore Ruby Hughes had her best individual finish of the season, finishing 39th out of the 137 runners. Her consistent improvement throughout the season has been paramount for the team, and her improvement from 88th at the Gans Creek Invitational to 39th at the Big 12 Championship has been a pleasant surprise.
BYU backed up their No. 1 ranking as they placed seven runners in the top 20, with five of them earning All-Big 12 accolades. Freshman Jane Hedengren had a dominant run, earning the Women’s Big 12 Championship title by 44.7 seconds.
The Cyclone ladies will aim to earn a national championship automatic qualifier bid at the Midwest Regionals in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Nov. 14.
