The Iowa State Cyclones concluded their 2025 cross country season at the NCAA DI Championships in Columbia, Missouri, on Saturday, with the Cyclone men earning their second consecutive podium finish.
The Cyclone men arrived at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course as the unanimous No. 2 team in the nation, and despite a midseason stumble to the Oklahoma State Cowboys, expectations were still high going into the meet.
Iowa State ultimately placed third, finishing behind the favorite No. 1 Oklahoma State and No. 3 New Mexico with a score of 57-82-158 between the three.
The Cyclones were paced by sophomore Robin Kwemoi Bera. Bera placed 14th and was never more than three seconds from the leading runner until the ninth kilometer.
Freshman Meschack Kimutai, who didn’t race at the Midwest Regionals on Nov.14, had his best finish of the season, placing second on the team and 22nd overall. Kimutai was followed by senior Rodgers Kiplimo, who utilized a strong back half of the race to jump from 52nd at the 5k mark to a 23rd overall finish.
Sophomore Joash Ruto ran to a 36th-ranked finish, although he led the race through the first seven kilometers. Ruto’s time of 29:02.9 was nearly 20 seconds faster than the time of 29:22.4 he ran at the same event last season.
The Cyclones’ final placing runner was graduate Sanele Masondo. Masondo was 29th at the 3-kilometer mark, but a stumble dropped him to 175th at the four-kilometer mark. Despite the issue, Masondo utilized a strong back half of the race to place 86th.
The Cyclones were outrun by Oklahoma State for the third time this season, although that had less to do with the Cyclones struggling and more to do with the Cowboys’ dominance. Oklahoma State placed five runners on the All-American team and was led by Brian Musau, Fouad Messaoudi and Denis Kipngetich, who finished 4-5-6.
No. 3 New Mexico blitzed the Cyclones by leaning on their four best runners. Junior Habtom Samuel won the individual title with a blazing speed of 28:33.9, which was over four seconds faster than the second-place runner. Collins Kiprotich, Evans Kiplagat and Vincent Chirchir also finished in the top-20 for New Mexico.
Although the Cyclones fell short of their national title aspirations, their third-place finish and four All-Americans have set a baseline for the standard of the program under director of cross country Jeremy Sudbury. This marked Sudbury’s third top-3 finish, and the Cyclones will likely remain a contender for the foreseeable future.
The No. 12 Iowa State women also competed on Saturday, with two runners earning All-American honors en route to a top-20 finish.
Redshirt freshman Betty Kipkore was the fourth-ranked freshman and 15th-ranked runner overall in Columbia. She steadily improved at each kilometer marker, jumping from 46th at the 1k mark to a top-15 finish.
Freshman Mercy Kibet followed a similar path to Kipkore, as she improved after every kilometer as well. Kibet improved from 40th place at the 1-kilometer mark and ultimately finished 20th overall. Both Kibet and Kipkore made the All-American team with their top-40 finishes.
Senior Maelle Porcher ran for her third and final time at the NCAA Championships and finished in 89th. The Cyclones were rounded out by redshirt senior Riley Beach in 225th and freshman Maya Ledesma in 234th. Star freshman Mercyline Kirwa did not compete on Saturday.
While the Cyclones finished in 20th at the NCAA DI Championships, they vastly exceeded their expectations coming into the year. The Cyclones “received votes” in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association preseason poll, but a steady improvement throughout the season vaulted them into the national championships.
Additionally, the star trio of Kipkore, Kibet and Kirwa will allow the Iowa State women to remain in national title contention for multiple seasons.
The first-ranked North Carolina State Wolfpack edged out No. 2 BYU for the title by a score of 114-130, while No. 6 Oregon, No. 4 New Mexico and No. 3 Florida rounded out the top 5. Alabama’s Doris Lemngole earned the individual title with a time of 18:25.4, with BYU’s Jane Hedengren finishing in second.
With the cross country season coming to a close, many of Iowa State’s runners will look towards the track season, which begins with the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener in Boston, Massachusetts, on Dec. 7.
