The ISU men’s cross country team got its first taste of Big 12 competition Saturday in Lawrence, Kan., at the Rim Rock Classic.

The Cyclones finished first with 35 points, followed by Kansas with 47 points, and Nebraska in third with 71 points. The pack formation game plan proved to be successful once again for the team, as it earned its second win this season. 

Iowa State’s top finisher was Toby Hardwick in fourth place with a time of 24:18.0, followed closely by three other Cyclones in the top 10. Nathan Rodriguez finished sixth with a 24:21.7 time. Seventh went to Brian Llamas with a 24:22.3 time, and 10th place went to Daniel Nestor with a 24:33.8. All ISU runners finished in the top 70 to help clinch this win.

The Cyclones have a weekend off, and then it’s back on the road to Madison, Wisc., to compete in the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational on October 16th. Iowa State will compete against 36 different teams in the invitational, including Arizona State, Boise State, BYU and Wisconsin.