Completed Event: Cross Country versus Cyclone Preview on August 29, 2025 , , Men: 1st, Women: 1st
Final
Cross Country
Cyclone Preview
Men: 1st, Women: 1st
Iowa State University Athletics
Nelson Garners Weekly Conference Award
10.21.2014 | Cross Country
AMES, Iowa - Iowa State junior Crystal Nelson has been named Big 12 Runner of the Week, the league office announced this afternoon. Nelson receives the award after taking the individual title at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational.
Nelson used a late surge over the final 2 kilometers of the race to take the title, knocking off six of the nation's top-10 individuals in the process. The Winchester, Virginia, native ran 4:55 mile-pace over the final third of the race en route to a finishing time of 19 minutes, 35 seconds, just 4 seconds off of the course record.
The performance earned Nelson national recognition from the United State Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
The time is a career best in cross country for Nelson and is a 27-second improvement over the time she posted on the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course a year ago. At 19:35, the 2013 All-American equaled former Cyclone great Betsy Saina's fastest time on the course, notching the third-fastest individual performance in meet history.
With the victory, Nelson moved up in the individual rankings to No. 3 nationally and helped lift the Iowa State women to No. 6 in the latest national poll. Nelson and teammate Katy Moen (No. 11) make Iowa State one of just two programs nationally with two individuals ranked in the top-15. The Cyclone tandem has posted top-5 finishes in back-to-back meets, finishing 3rd and 4th at the Griak and 1st and 5th at Wisconsin.
At No. 6, the Cyclone women achieved their highest team ranking since the 2012 season. The Iowa State men also returned to the national poll, coming in at No. 30 in the most recent poll after their performance at the Adidas Invite.
The selection marks the second Big 12 weekly award of Nelson's career and is the eighth time an Iowa State student-athlete has received the honor.
Nelson and the Cyclones kick off championship season Nov. 1 at the Big 12 Championship in Lawrence, Kansas, when the team looks to capture its fourth-straight conference title.
Players Mentioned
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