The Iowa State Cyclones competed at two separate meets over the weekend, the Arkansas Qualifier and the Snowshoe Open, and put ingrate performances before returning to Ames. The Big 12 Indoor Championships are to be held next weekend in Ames and the Cyclones are hoping to further improve upon what has already been a great season for them. 

Frank Hayes back to back wins

Frank Hayes has performed well all season thus far for the Cyclones and recently he’s taken his performances to the next level. Hayes has been competing in the men’s 800m run over the last two meets where he headlined the event with wins in both. 

At the Arkansas Qualifier Hayes was able to secure his second straight win in the event with Alex Lomong and Darius Kipyego also running. Hayes’ time of 1:48.46 secured his win with Lomong and Kipyego finishing shortly after in second and third. 

Hayes also won the 800m run at the Iowa State Classic as he ran a season best time and climbed the ranks of Iowa State history. Hayes finished with a time of 1:48.28 which propelled him to fifth in ISU indoor history as well as ninth in NCAA Division one. 

These back to back wins will surely boost confidence levels before the Big 12 Indoor Championships as we await the entries which will be in during the week. The Big 12 Indoor Championships is one of the biggest stages that the Cyclones will compete in this season and to be in Ames will be even better for the competitors. 

To be at home on one of the biggest stages is something that athletes yearn for and for Frank Hayes and the Cyclones, they’ll be hoping to shine when the event begins on Friday. 

Another Week, Another Record

The Iowa State Cyclones are no strangers to breaking records and the performances at the Arkansas Qualifier and the Snowshoe Open further proved that. 

The Snowshoe Open had multiple Cyclones compete in different events and to begin, the women’s weight throw saw two athletes secure new personal records. 

Antonella Creazzola and Emily March both competed in the event as each of them finished within the top 10. Creazzola finished in third with her PR of 18.59m and March placed fifth with her new PR of 17.75m. 

Moving over to the Arkansas Qualifier, a pair of ISU records were shattered as the Cyclones proved how strong they are in multiple events. 

The men’s distance medley relay team of Jason Gomez, Frank Hayes, Alex Lomong and Nehemia Too beat last years school record shaving three seconds off of the previous time. The team finished with a time of 9:24.07 which is the fourth fastest men’s DMR in Division one this year as well as the eighth fastest in Division one history.

Another school record that was broken was thanks to Wesley Kiptoo as he ran in the men’s 3,000m run. His time of 7:43.61 was enough to also see Kiptoo place sixth in Division one this season as he placed third in the event. 

With each meet there is always a new PR or a new record being broken and that is a testament to how well the Cyclones have performed this season. The Cyclones will ride this momentum into Friday afternoon when the Big 12 Indoor Championships begin and will hope to break even more records on that stage. 

The Big 12 Indoor Championships will be held at Lied Recreation Center as the Cyclones are fully focused on the event after what was another great weekend for ISU.