Completed Event: Track and Field at Bryan Clay Invite on April 16, 2026 ,
Final
Track and Field
Bryan Clay Invite
Iowa State University Athletics
For Elahi, Powell, Two is Better than One
01.29.2010 | Track and Field
AMES, Iowa - In her first season competing with the Iowa State track and field team, freshman Donnise Powell is already having a positive impact on her teammates, especially with her training partner, sophomore Kianna Elahi. The sprinters train together. The arrangement is a first for both, as neither has had a female training partner in the past.
Powell arrived on campus in August. By September, assistant coach Nate Wiens made it well-known that the two would be training together.
"They push each other side by side in practice," said Wiens. "They work so well together on a training level, and that was the whole purpose. We wanted to find someone that would come alongside Kianna not just to give her someone to train with, but to give us a look at finishing first and second in a lot of our races."
The two have no complaints about training together.
"It feels good to have another female that I can work out with, and really get something out of the workout," Powell said. "I think it's a good thing for both of us."
While Elahi, a native of Omaha, Nebraska, had a successful first season running for the Cyclones, she, like Powell, believes that working closely with another female sprinter has already helped her improve on the track. Since beginning to train alongside Powell, she has given strong performances early in this year's indoor season. Elahi finished third in the 400-meter dash at the 2009 Holiday Preview. She won the 600-yard run, and was part of the fourth place 4x400-meter relay team at the 2010 ISU Open.
"It's really helped me," Elahi said. "For me personally, I've always done a lot better when I have someone pushing me, so it's helped a lot to have (Donnise) there. I think we work really well together."
Powell, who came to Ames from Union City, Calif., says that being able to train with Elahi has helped make her transition to running indoor track a bit easier.
"I expected to have a delay in my indoor season because I knew I would have to take time and learn how to run indoors," Powell said. "Kianna has been a great help, and I look up to her. She's a great athlete."
Elahi and Powell have both been pleasantly surprised in the recent months as to how compatible they found themselves to be on the track.
"Obviously we both try really hard in practice, and we're both really competitive," Elahi said. "I think something we have in common is that our finish is one of the strongest points in our race. So for training that translates as well."
Powell agrees.
"I think it's really interesting how we've only been working together for these last few months, but we already have a connection on the track," Powell said.
The pair also really enjoys training under the direction of coach Wiens.
"I like coach Wiens a lot, and his training style has really worked for me," Elahi said. "I think it's good that he has high expectations of us as well. It helps having him expect a lot out of us because then it makes us expect a lot out of ourselves."
Along with Elahi, Wiens has helped make Powell's transition to ISU and Divison I track a smooth one.
"He's very motivational, and he's very excited about what we're doing," Powell said. "That makes me excited, and it makes Kianna excited to be out there running."
Wiens enjoys watching these two train together. He sees the pair as a perfect example of how freshmen can come in and during their first season make an immediate impact on the entire team.
"We're going to be well rounded," Wiens said. "Now we're looking not just to do well at the conference level and maybe the regional level, but we want to do well at the national level. Bringing Donnise in this past year was a big step towards that goal."
Elahi and Powell will both be competing this weekend as Iowa State plays host to the Bill Bergan Invitational on Saturday (Jan. 30).
Players Mentioned
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