A strong finish is all that’s needed.

The Iowa State men’s track and field team came home this weekend and saw success almost everywhere. On the track, it was all about the finish.

“The last lap is just try to not let any breaks open up and stay as composed and relaxed as possible,” said redshirt junior distance runner Dan Curts.

Curts has been one of the best for the Cyclones this year and he showed up again on Saturday with a personal record of 4:02.54 in the mile.

The Maine native had a nice finish and was able to finish fifth overall against four heats.

Senior Jaymes Dennison was also able to finish strong, but he was not happy with how he did in the 800-meter run.

“I [had a personal record] but, it’s not what I wanted,” Dennison said. “It’s not going to get me the qualification.”

Dennison has been one of the Cyclones’ best 400-meter and 800-meter runners this year. He was able to set his personal record in the 800-meter run on Saturday, but he doesn’t feel like it will be enough to qualify for nationals.

Dennison will be looking for improvement and will want to qualify before the season is over.

The sprinters were in full force on the first day of the meet and senior Logan Schneider was happy to be home for this one.

“There’s more friends and family that come to it,” Schneider said.

Schneider competed in the 60-meter hurdles on Friday and after advancing to the finals, he finished sixth, just in front of his teammate Elijah Young.

Schneider has been improving as the season has gone on and he will look to keep that up through his senior season.

Off the track was also pretty successful for the Cyclones. There were a few solid performances for the Iowa State field team.

Sophomore Zach Timm was able to have his personal-best indoor shot put throw that went 50-3 ½. Timm could be a key contributor this season as well as future seasons to come. 

The performance that generated a lot of hype was the high jump. Iowa State senior Jalen Ford was put to the test as he and two other competitors made it past the 6-11 bar.

“I felt great. I felt really bouncy,” Ford said about how he felt at the start of the day.

Despite this, Ford was not quite able to clear the 7-1 bar which would have been his personal record.

Ryan Lockard of Minnesota was able to clear the 7-3 bar on his second try to win the event while Ford came in third.

“7-1 is kind of the bar that’s in my way, so it’s time to go back to work,” Ford said.

Being a senior, Ford has become a role model on the team which was exemplified by the amount of athletes that were lining up to watch him attempt the 7-1 bar. Ford encouraged the audience to clap their hands before one of his jumps as a way to hype him up.

The Cyclones will travel to South Bend, Indiana, next weekend to compete in the Alex Wilson Invitational, which is their last meet before they come back to Ames for the Big 12 Championships.

The Cyclones will look to lean on their finishing strength and leadership as the season comes to an end.