TALLAHASSEE, Florida – Iowa State put up its best performance of the season on the right day, taking second place as a team at the NCAA Cross Country Championships Saturday at Apalachee Regional Park. The Cyclones were led by the brilliant Wesley Kiptoo, who picked up yet another All-America honor with his second-place finish, and Thomas Pollard, who got his first career All-America nod with a strong 21st-place effort.
Iowa State took second as a team, the fifth top-2 finish as a team for the Cyclones in program history and the best team effort since ISU won the national title in 1994. This is also the second time in the past three years the ISU men have brought home a team trophy, also bringing home one in 2019 when finishing fourth.
After going to win the last NCAA Championships from the gun, Kiptoo stayed in the lead pack as it continued to narrow down in each check, getting down to six with 2K to go and then being a final three of Kiptoo, Connor Mantz of BYU and Athanas Kioko of Campbell to duke it out for the national title. Kioko made the first move, which Mantz was able to counter and pull away for the win. Kiptoo was able to get past Kioko in the final few hundred meters to take second in 28:38.7 and earn his second cross country All-America honor as a Cyclone and fifth across track and cross country.
For Thomas Pollard, Saturday was seven years in the making. Ames’ own also moved up across all the checkpoints, moving into the All-America positions at the 6K mark and surging up towards the top-20 at the end. He ended up crossing the line in 21st, edging Oklahoma State’s Isai Rodriguez in 29:20.4.
Gable Sieperda made a huge move up the standings during the race, sitting outside the top-100 at the 4K checkpoint, but moving up over 60 spots across the final half of the race and coming home in 41st place in 29:31.9, just missing out on All-America honors.
Festus Lagat wrapped up his Iowa State career with a 44th place effort in 29:34.8, while Ryan Ford wrapped up his lone cross country season as a Cyclone in 47th in 29:36.9.
Team Standings
1. Northern Arizona – 92; 2. Iowa State – 137; 3. Oklahoma State – 186; 4. Arkansas – 195; 5. Stanford – 236; 6. Tulsa – 237; 7. BYU – 246; 8. Colorado – 249; 9. Notre Dame – 290; 10. Wake Forest – 356
Individual Results
1. Connor Mantz, BYU – 28:33.1; 2. Wesley Kiptoo, Iowa State – 28:38.7; 21. Thomas Pollard, Iowa State – 29:20.4; 41. Gable Sieperda, Iowa State – 29:31.9; 44. Festus Lagat, Iowa State – 29:34.8; 47. Ryan Ford, Iowa State – 29:36.9; 65. Ezekiel Rop, Iowa State – 29:49.8; 116. Chad Johnson, Iowa State – 30:19.7
Logue 4th, Women 9th at NCAA XC Championships
TALLAHASSEE, Florida – The Iowa State women’s cross country team wrapped up its outstanding season with a ninth place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships Saturday at Apalachee Regional Park. The team finish marked ISU’s first top-10 finish since taking second at the 2014 NCAA Championships.
The Cyclone effort was led by an outstanding effort from Cailie Logue, who earned her second cross country All-America honor and fourth for her Iowa State career by finishing in fourth place.
After leading from the front at both the Big 12 Championships and the NCAA Midwest Regional, it was a more measured approach for the ISU women, as they were in 23rd as a team at the first check point, but had steadily moved up to 14th by the halfway mark, with Logue among the lead-pack.
Iowa State was in 11th at the 4K checkpoint, with Logue sticking towards the front of a strung-out lead pack. The 5K check saw Logue in sixth and part of a lead-pack of nine to battle it out for the individual national title. Logue was able to hold off Big 12 rival Taylor Roe for her final spot, but was unable catch another, West Virginia’s Ceili McCabe, for third-place. Logue’s fourth-place effort in 19:29.8 was the highest individual finish by a Cyclone since Betsy Saina won the national title in 2012.
Ashley Tutt wrapped up her first cross country campaign with a 50th place finish in 20:07.2. Winrose Chesang stepped up with her best performance of the season, taking 104th in 20:31.4, followed closely by Dana Feyen in 1066th in 20:32.3. Madelynn Hill wrapped up ISU’s scoring squad in 150th in 20:48.6.
Team Standings
1. NC State – 84; 2. BYU – 122; 3. New Mexico – 130; 4. Colorado – 187; 5. Notre Dame – 215; 6. Stanford – 233; 7. Minnesota – 313; 8. Arkansas – 328; 9. Iowa State – 332; 10. Ole Miss – 350
Individual Results
1. Whittini Orton, BYU – 19:25.4; 4. Cailie Logue, Iowa State – 19:29.8; 50. Ashley Tutt, Iowa State – 20:07.2; 104. Winrose Chesang, Iowa State – 20:31.4; 106. Dana Feyen, Iowa State – 20:32.3; 150. Madelynn Hill, Iowa State – 20:48.6; 206. Janette Schraft, Iowa State – 21:17.0; 215. Brenna Cohoon, Iowa State – 21:21.1
