Two Iowa Prep Champs Sign With Cyclones

AMES, Iowa - Two Iowa state champions and a top prep distance runner from Minnesota have signed national letters of intent to attend Iowa State and compete for the Cyclone track and field program. Two-time Iowa Class 1-A high jump champion Jordan Cress of Olin High School, Madrid's Nick Efkamp, who won four events at the 2011 Iowa state meet in Class 1-A and Steve Dado, a versatile distance performer from Totino-Grace High School will compete at Iowa State this fall.

Cress owns a personal best of 6-10 ¼ and fits the Iowa State program.

"Jordan fills an immediate need for us," Iowa State head coach Corey Ihmels said. "(Iowa State assistant coach) Pete Herber likes Jordan's potential. We think he could be a scorer in the Big 12 Conference, which is really saying something."

In May, Efkamp became fifth Iowa prep to win four events in a single state meet. Efkamp won the Class 1-A 100-meters, the 110-meter and 400-meter hurdles and the long jump. He owns high school personal bests of 10.5h in the 100-meters, 14.4h in the 110-meter hurdles, 52.80 FAT in the 400-meter hurdles and 21-3 1/4 in the long jump.

"We believe Nick has a future running the hurdles at Iowa State," Ihmels said. "He obviously has great athleticism which will serve him well at the NCAA Division I level."

Dado placed second in the 1600 meters and sixth in the 3200 meters at the Minnesota state meet. The 16th-place finisher at the state cross country meet, Dado has personal bests of 4:17 in the 1600 meters and 9:19 in the 3200 meters.

"Steve is a guy who kind of ran under the radar," Ihmels said. "He had a great senior year and I think will fit in well with our cross country group."