AMES – The No. 1 Iowa State men ran to a first-place team finish at the third annual Cyclone Preview on Friday morning. ISU was paced by Allen Bonnesen, finishing second in the men’s 6K race and had three other individuals finish in the top seven.
“We’re a team that’s incredibly deep, and so today we got to show off some of our younger athletes,” said head coach Jeremy Sudbury. “Some athletes that maybe are not going to step into our top seven or top ten later in the season and going into postseason. And so, to have that depth is really exciting.”
Following Bonnesen was Emanuel Galdino, who finished fourth overall. Seth Clevenger and Isaac Rivera finished sixth and seventh, respectively, while Nathan Pestka (12th), Quinton Orr (15th) and Riley Simpson (17th) were also top 20 finishers.
Sudbury was pleased with the effort and promising depth the young Cyclones showed at Friday’s meet. “Allen Bonnesen went to a whole new level, to see Isaac Rivera as a redshirt freshman rock, Seth Clevenger coming off a massive injury last year and having surgery and missing four months and he’s back. It’s really exciting. I think for the overall collective group, our basement has risen. So, it is really cool, and it speaks to the culture we have.”
Up Next
The top-ranked Iowa State men will compete at the Gans Creek Classic in Columbia on September 27. The loaded field at Missouri will provide a national meet-like environment to test the Cyclones.
Team Results
1. Iowa State, 22; 2. Iowa Central CC, 46; 3. Drake, 77; 4. UNI, 87
Individual Results
1. Daniel Rotich, Unattached, 17:40.6; 2. Allen Bonnesen, Iowa State, 17:42.8; 4. Emanuel Galdino, Iowa State, 17:59.5; 6. Seth Clevenger, Iowa State, 18:08.0; 7. Isaac Rivera, Iowa State, 18:11.1; 12. Nathan Pestka, Iowa State, 18:29.8; 15. Quinton Orr, Iowa State, 18:37.9; 17. Riley Simpson, Iowa State, 18:44.0
The Iowa State women’s cross country team opened the season with a team win at the Cyclone Preview while Betty Kipkore posted the top individual finish. ISU had four other runners finish in the top six to run away with the team title.
“Really happy with our performance today,” said coach Cale Wallace. “I told the ladies coming in that the expectation wasn’t necessarily certain results, everyone has their own individual thing to work on. Whether it’s holding back early in the race or staying strong through the middle of it, all nine that ran today have their own thing to work on.”
“It was great to see our women’s team after they had great summers,” added director of cross country Jeremy Sudbury. “Everybody’s healthy and to see some athletes that have really done a great job developing, and the work that Coach Wallace has done is amazing, and I’m really excited. We’re hoping to continue to get even bigger, better, stronger in terms of what the expectations are for that group. So they’re in the perfect spot in terms of having that underdog mentality but also have some big lofty goals for this year.”
After battling an injury a season ago, Kipkore looked strong in her Cyclone debut, leading most of the race comfortably and finishing the 5K in 16:44.3. Bella Heikes, Sydney Morrell and Riley Beach were right behind to finish 2-4 while Olivia Verde (6th) and Ruby Hughes (8th) were also top 10 finishers. Heikes and Beach return for their senior seasons after earning all-region honors a year ago, but have their sights set on a national meet team selection in their final year of competition.
“It seemed like we did a lot of the things we set out to do, and that was the hope today,” said Wallace.
Up Next
The Iowa State women will compete at the Gans Creek Classic in Columbia on September 27. The loaded, large field at Missouri should lend valuable experience to a young squad looking to return to the NCAA Championship in November.
Team Results
1. Iowa State, 16; 2. UNI, 56; 3. Drake, 67; 4. Iowa Central CC, 115
Individual Results
1. Betty Kipkore, Iowa State 16:44.3; 2. Bella Heikes, Iowa State 16:56.0; 3. Sydney Morrell, Iowa State 17:00.9; 4. Riley Beach, Iowa State, 17:05.3; 6. Olivia Verde, Iowa State, 17:16.6; 8. Ruby Hughes, Iowa State, 17:32.0; 14. Ashlyn Keeney, Iowa State, 18:12.8; 17. Josie Baker, Iowa State, 18:27.8; 19. Mya Trober, Iowa State, 18:28.8
Also, the UNI cross country team kicked off the 2025 season on Friday morning, competing at Iowa State’s Cyclone Preview at the ISU Cross Country Course.
Sophomore Colin Lillie led the way for Panther men in the six-kilometer race with a career best time of 18:33 and a 14th place finish. Micah Rees followed in 16th place with a career best time of 18:38. In his collegiate debut Ethan Olds placed 20th with a time of 18:58, followed closely by Drew Dombrosky in 23rd with a new career best time of 19:03.
Jack Bergman took 30th place with a time of 19:24, followed by Jonas VanDis in 31st in his collegiate debut (19:27), followed by Josh Gormley with a career best time in 32nd (19:31) and Brayden Picken in 33rd (19:36). Kon Dut finished in 44th in 20:35, with Jayden Dickson rounding out the UNI field in 46th with a time of 20:49.
Senior Amelia Hill led the way for the Panther women in the five-kilometer race, finishing ninth with a time of 17:35, the seventh fastest 5K time in program history. Leah Klapatauskas followed closely behind, finishing tenth with a career best time of 17:45, while Meghan Wheatley also clocked with a time of 17:45 to take 11th.
Kaylee Woolery finished in 15th with a career best time of 18:17, followed by Sarah Feddersen finishing in 16th in 18:25. Evie Henneberry placed 18th in her first collegiate race with a time of 18:28. Brooke O’Brien finished 21st with a career best time of 18:30. Rounding out the Panther women in 23rd was Josee Simonson with a time of 18:40, with Clare Wright in 24th with a career best time of 18:45 and Kayla Young in 25th with a time of 19:10.