Marial Hits Cyclone Stride

AMES, Iowa -- Guor Marial is having a very good fall as a leader on the Iowa State men's cross country team. The junior escaped harrowing experiences in the Sudan before making it to Concord, N.H. where he was a state distance high school champion. Then it was on to Iowa State. Now in his fourth year at ISU, he has settled in academically and socially. The biggest contributor to his success however, is the absence of the back pain that had plagued his first two cross country seasons.

Marial and his teammates are getting ready for the Midwest Regional Nov. 15 in Stillwater, Okla. The Cyclones will run for a second straight NCAA Championships berth. The NCAA national meet will be Nov. 24 in Terre Haute, Ind.

“I am confident and very excited about our team,” Marial said. “If we say healthy, I think we can advance to the NCAA meet again.”

Marial finished sixth among 100 competitors at the Big 12 Championship Nov. 1 on the ISU Cross Country Course to lead the Iowa State men to a third-place team finish, the school's best performance since placing third in 1997. Marial covered the 8,000-meter course in 24:15.4 to earn all-conference honors along with teammates Kiel Uhl (seventh) and Hilary Bor (11th). The Cyclones finished with 67 points, just one point behind Colorado (66). Oklahoma State won the meet with 26 points.

“We are excited about how hard we competed at the Big 12 meet,” Iowa State head coach Corey Ihmels said. “Our team has made progress. The guys are excited about seeing where we are the in the (Midwest) Region.”

The slightly built Marial was shooting with his teammates to finish ahead of Colorado but is satisfied with his individual performance.

“We had set our sights on Colorado and second-place,” Marial said. “I had confidence that if I ran by best it would help the team on our home course.”

Marial was 13th among 244 runners at the Pre-National meet in Terre Haute, Ind. last month. The liberal studies major knows his role as the season heads to a climax.

“Being able to adjust to (coach Ihmels') system has been key,” Marial said. “Each of the previous years in cross country my back would be preventing me from doing my best. Now, knowing what (Ihmels) expects from us, I am very comfortable.”

Marial was 14th as a freshman at the Big 12 meet but 34th in 2007. Ihmels says maturity has played a role in Marial's resurgence.

“Guor has figured it out,” Ihmels said. “I think looking back at the struggles he had in the past it probably was going to take as long as it has for him to be comfortable. He is a reason that this team has not had many dips in performance this year.”

Players Mentioned

Guor Marial

Guor Marial

Kiel Uhl

Kiel Uhl

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