MANHATTAN, Kansas – A historic weekend of Iowa State track and field finished with another strong day on Sunday at a rainy Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Wesley Kiptoo’s historic weekend concluded with another record-breaking win in the 5,000-meter run, which helped him secure the Big 12 Championships Men’s High Point Award, while Cailie Logue made some history of her own en route to winning a 10th-career Big 12 title.
In the team race, the No. 7 Iowa State men tied their highest-ever team finish with a second-place effort with 144 team points, which is the second-most points scored by a runner-up team in Big 12 men’s history. The Iowa State women were eighth place in the team race with 57 points.
For the first time all week, Kiptoo had someone hang with him early, as Oklahoma State’s Isai Rodriguez went with Kiptoo for the first mile before Kiptoo continued to push and run away with it. He crossed the line well ahead of the field again, lapping all but the top-nine to take the win in 13:29.92.
Kiptoo is the first male in Big 12 history to ever win three individual events at a single outdoor championships, and third student-athlete ever, as Marshevet Hooker of Texas was the women’s 100, 200 and long jump champion in 2005 and 2006. He is also the third male in Big 12 history to even score in the 3,000 steeplechase, 5,000m and 10,000m run at the same championships, with his teammate David Too being one of the others in 2019.
Thomas Pollard took third in the men’s 5K, cruising to a nearly 10-second personal best in 13:46.02, while Ezekiel Rop took fifth in 13:51.90.
The women’s 5,000m played out similarly to the 10,000 on Friday night, with Logue getting locked into a three-way battle against a foe from that race, Texas’ Madeline Vondra, and Oklahoma State’s Gabby Hentemann. Logue and Hentemann were able to drop Vondra with three laps to go, and then the Cyclone star turned on the jets heading into turn three and into the bell lap to leave Hentemann behind and pull away for the win.
Logue defended her 5,000m title to do the 5K/10K double for a second-straight time, making her the third Big 12 woman to do multiple 5K/10K double title wins outdoors, joining ISU legend Lisa Koll (2009 & 2010) and Kansas’ Sharon Lokedi (2017 & 2018). Logue also collected her 10th career Big 12 title across track and cross country, her fourth outdoors.
Abby Caldwell got on the podium again, taking fifth in 16:40.62, while Winrose Chesang also scored for the second time this weekend with her eighth-place 16:51.50.
The men’s team battle was surmised in the men’s 1,500-meter run, with a tactical battle between the ISU and Texas contingents. Festus Lagat and Nehemia Too were 1-2 at the halfway point, but UT’s Cruz Gomez went past both at the bell to pick up the urgency. Lagat ran him down and looked to have things under control, but a late surge from the Longhorns’ Bizimana on the outside meant it was silver for Lagat, with Bizimana winning in 3:44.87 to Lagat’s 3:44.97. Too was fifth in 3:47.28.
The men’s 800-meter run saw a 19-point haul for Iowa State, but was marred in disappointment with Festus Lagat’s DQ after impeding Bizimana at the line. Alex Lomong continued his breakthrough weekend with a season-best 1:47.69, pushing him into ISU’s all-time top-10 and the silver medal, while Daniel Nixon had another strong effort in third for bronze at 1:48.01.
Mason Weh owned three Big 12 bronze medals across his ISU career, and was able to add a silver to his collection during an adversity-filled 110-meter hurdles. Due to a malfunction in the timing equipment, the race had to be recalled, but Weh, Baylor’s Elijah Morris and Texas Tech’s Maliek Kendall did not hear the recall, completing the entirety of the race. After a delay to make fixes and get functioning, Weh was able to rally and fight off a big group of competitors for second in 14.04.
Sunday’s conditions were not the best for a discus competition, but Kevin Sakson got in a big throw of 180-5 (55.01m) early on his first attempt, and that was enough to hang onto the silver medal and eight more ISU team points.
Up Next
Iowa State entries for the 2021 NCAA Track & Field Championships West Preliminaries will be announced next week, with the meet taking place May 26-29 at Texas A&M.
Team Scores
Men: 1. Texas – 173; 2. Iowa State – 144; 3. Oklahoma – 105; 4. Kansas State – 88; 5. Texas Tech – 85; 6. TCU – 63; 7. Kansas – 63; 8. Oklahoma State – 53; 9. Baylor – 41
Women: 1. Texas – 207; 2. Kansas State – 114; 3. Texas Tech – 106.5; 4. Oklahoma State – 87.5; 5. Kansas – 77; 6. Oklahoma – 76; 7. Baylor – 64; 8. Iowa State – 57; 9. West Virginia – 18; 10. TCU – 10
Iowa State Results
800m Run Final (M): 1. Yusuf Bizimana, Texas – 1:46.84; 2. Alex Lomong, Iowa State – 1:47.69; 3. Daniel Nixon, Iowa State – 1:48.01; 6. Roshon Roomes, Iowa State – 1:49.00; 7. Jason Gomez, Iowa State – 2:20.60; Festus Lagat, Iowa State – DQ
1,500m Run Final (M): 1. Yusuf Bizimana, Texas – 3:44.87; 2. Festus Lagat, Iowa State – 3:44.97; 5. Nehemia Too, Iowa State – 3:47.28
1,500m Run Final (W): 1. Kathryn Gillespie, Texas – 4:22.21; 8. Madelynn Hill, Iowa State – 4:32.68
5,000m Run (M): 1. Wesley Kiptoo, Iowa State – 13:29.92; 3. Thomas Pollard, Iowa State – 13:46.02; 5. Ezekiel Rop, Iowa State – 13:51.90; 9. Nehemia Too, Iowa State – 14:09.86; 14. Jeffery Pedersen, Iowa State – 14:30.56
5,000m Run (W): 1. Cailie Logue, Iowa State – 15:56.20; 5. Abby Caldwell, Iowa State – 16:40.62; 8. Winrose Chesang, Iowa State – 16:51.50; 10. Grace Dickel, Iowa State – 16:57.49; 11. Dana Feyen, Iowa State – 16:57.83; 13. Janette Schraft, Iowa State – 16:58.69; 16. Brenna Cohoon, Iowa State – 17:19.28; 18. Madelynn Hill, Iowa State – 17:35.57
110m Hurdles Final (M): 1. Deshaun Jones, Baylor – 1370; 2. Mason Weh, Iowa State – 14.04
400m Hurdles Final (M): 1. Isaiah Levingston, Oklahoma – 49.12; 3. Eric Fogltanz, Iowa State – 51.04
4x100m Relay (M): 1. TCU – 39.75; 8. Iowa State (Joven Nelson, Gage Clay, Charlie Johnson, Cebastian Gentil) – 42.95
4x100m Relay (W): 1. Texas – 44.36; 8. Iowa State (Zakiyah Amos, Bria Barnes, Erika Furbeck, Kaylyn Hall) – 46.64
4x400m Relay (M): 1. Texas – 3:03.35; 7. Iowa State (Gage Clay, Eric Fogltanz, Roshon Roomes, Cebastian Gentil) – 3:07.38
4x400m Relay (W): 1. Texas – 3:29.82; 7. Iowa State (Bria Barnes, Zakiyah Amos, Erika Furbeck, Kaylyn Hall) – 3:40.86
Discus Throw (M): 1. Gabriel Oladipo, Texas Tech – 187-0 (57.00m); 2. Kevin Sakson, Iowa State – 180-5 (55.01m); 11. Jonathan Gannon, Iowa State – 162-1 (49.40m)
Discus Throw (W): 1. Elean Bruckner, Texas – 182-5 (55.61m); 12. Emily March, Iowa State – 145-2 (44.26m)
High Jump (W): 1. Rylee Anderson, Kansas – 5-11 1/2 (1.82m); Megan Durbin, Iowa State – NH
