Freshman ISU runner Thomas Pollard guided the USA Junior Men’s team to a gold medal in the U20 8K at the 2016 Pan American Cross Country Cup on Friday.

Pollard received the maximum amount of team points and USA finished with 12 team points and gold medal in Caraballeda, Venezuela.

Pollard, the son of ISU athletic director Jamie Pollard, won the Junior 8K USATF Cross Country Championships in February, which landed him a spot on Team USA. 

Despite the high temperatures, Pollard, who redshirted his first cross-country and track season for the Cyclones’ this year, came through for team USA giving them a second place finish. Brazilian Daniel Ferreira, who had only qualified as an individual, was the lone finisher ahead of Pollard. 

Pollard was the 2014 Iowa high school class 3A state champion and a Foot Locker National High School Cross Country All-American twice. Pollard was also the Gatorade Athlete Of The Year three times at his time at Gilbert High School in Gilbert, Iowa.