Warner Picking Up Steam

AMES, Iowa – Junior sprinter Ian Warner has found his groove on the track as he starts the 2011 indoor season with strong performances. A native of Markham, Ontario, Warner joined the Iowa State men's track and field program in 2008.

Warner has had eye-raising performances in the season's first few meets. He claimed titles in the 60-meter dash and 200-meter dash at the ISU Open. Warner really stood out at the Bill Bergan Invitational Jan. 29 where he took first in both the 60-meter dash (6.75) and the 200-meter dash (21.73). Warner feels good about his recent accomplishments.

“The thing that was most exciting to me was the fact that I won both events,” Warner said. “And that (Amara) Sama came in second in both events. That was pretty cool.”

Sama is a junior sprinter for the Cyclones. Warner and Sama train together.

“Training with Amara is good because we have a good training partner,” Warner said. “It helps you to be able to get used to seeing what you're going to see at meets. Practice and meets kind of end up being the same because you're use to running fast and having competition whenever you run.”

Warner has seen a lot of growth within himself since he has been a member of the Iowa State track program.

“I know I have improved a lot,” Warner said. “We haven't done as much speed work as we did last year at this point and I was running a little bit faster. Now that we are doing speed work I know my times will definitely get better from here.”

Sprints coach Nate Wiens also sees improvements within Warner's running.

“He has improved in all of the little things,” Wiens said. “He came in doing a lot of things right and I think he has improved more than what I and the team has needed from him. He is really just the go-to guy for men's sprinters. I really commend him on the fact that he's done what it takes to learn his sport. He knows his body and knows the races very well so we can expect to see some very good things out of him this year.”

Wiens has even more expectations for Warner as the year continues into the outdoor season.

“For the remaining of the season I expect to see him keep getting better,” Wiens said. “We dove into strength a little bit more this year. I expect to see him keep getting stronger and using that strength and speed that he has to carry into the 100-meters and 200-meters as we move into to outdoor season.”

In his time at Iowa State Warner has developed his leadership skills.

“Ian's contributions to the team affirm he is becoming the leader that we need him to be,” Wiens said. “We had a very young team my first year here and he is stepping into a huge leadership role.”

Iowa State will be hosting the ISU Classic Thursday through Saturday. Warner hopes to continue his strong performances in order to reach his ultimate goal.

“For me the main thing is that the competition is getting a little bit harder,” Warner said. “So I pretty much want to keep the winning streak going. I also want to see my teammates run well. My main goal is to be an All-American. I want to be among the top eight in the country.”

Players Mentioned

Ian Warner

Ian Warner

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