The Iowa State men’s track and field team traveled to Iowa City for the first meet of the season Saturday.

The coaching staff didn’t have high expectations, with it being the first meet, but that didn’t stop the team from putting up solid performances. In four distance events, the men finished first and in a handful of others they had many finishes in the top 10.

The events began with the high jump, featuring Jalen Ford and Cody Durbin. Ford reached a height of 6 feet 8 3/4 inches, earning him the fourth spot. Durbin was just behind him in fifth place, clearing a height of 6 feet 6 3/4 inches.

Jaymes Dennison finished first in the 400-meter dash with a time of 47.82, followed by his teammate, Eric Fogltanz, who ran a 48.19. Dennison’s time not only won the event, but it also set a new meet record.

“We were hoping that Dennison would have a good performance and he delivered,” assistant coach Jeremy Sudbury said. “He ran a strong time in the 400 and followed that up by helping the 4×400 team.”

In the 1,000-meter race, Daniel Curts led the way for the Cyclones, finishing first with a time of 2:26.37. Curts is also a member of the men’s cross-country team and performed well throughout the fall season.  Roshon Roomes came in second with a time of 2:26.43 and Zach Black came in third, clocking 2:36.60.

The success continued in the mile with distance runner Toby Hardwick grabbing a time of 4:14.09.

The final first place finish on the men’s side was in the 3,000-meter run. Greyson Dolezal crossed the line with a time of 8:30.18.

The events ended with the 4×400 relay comprised of Dennison, Derek Jones, Fogltanz and Ben Kelly. The four put together a 3:10.72 time, the team’s best finish since 2007. 

“It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen this competitive of a 4×400 team,” Sudbury said. “Right now we’re ranked seventh in the country for the 4×400, so we’re excited to see how they will continually develop.”

That men’s 4×400 team is the 10th-fastest in ISU history and the fastest since 2007. #Cyclones #HawkeyeInvite

— Cyclone Track & XC (@CycloneTrackXC) January 15, 2017

Some other highlights throughout the day included the 60-meter hurdles and 600-meter run.

Logan Schneider and Elijah Young represented the Cyclones in the hurdles, both ran qualifying times to reach the finals in the event. In the prelims, Schneider set a personal record of 8.11, which he later broke by running 8.09 in the finals, finishing in fourth. Young ran a 8.30 prelims and followed up with a 8.25 in the finals for seventh place.

Jones also took part in the 600-meter run, his first meet since competing in the outdoor track and field nationals last summer. He finished in second place with a time of 1:20.23.

A handful of guys made their Cyclone debut on Saturday, including Roomes and Black. Experience or not, there seemed to be a sense of excitement with their performance and the rest of this season.

“This meet wasn’t just about the competition, it also allowed us to build better team chemistry,” Sudbury said. “Anytime the team can travel together and cheer each other on it ends up helping everyone.”

This first meet proved to the team that the system of training by the coaching staff, along with the individual hard work the guys put in, really does pay off. On paper, it accumulated to four first place finishes and other small times run across the board. 

“Overall, we’re really pleased with the performance of the team,” Sudbury said. “It was a low-key way to start the season and we’re looking forward to seeing what our guys can do.”