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
Cyclones Set For NCAA Midwest Regional
11.12.2015 | Cross Country
AMES, Iowa - The Iowa State cross country teams compete at Rim Rock Farm on Friday at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Lawrence, Kan. Both teams are looking to clinch berths at next week's NCAA Championships.
Where: Rim Rock Farm, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
When: Nov. 13 - 12:00 p.m. CT (Women) | 1:00 p.m. (Men)
Course Maps: Women (6K) | Men (10K)
The No. 16-ranked Cyclone women are chasing their sixth-consecutive regional title. The squad will be short-handed without All-Americans Crystal Nelson and Bethanie Brown, who are both expected to miss the entirety of the season. The Cyclones will see strong competition from No. 13 Oklahoma State and No. 21 Minnesota.
The Iowa State men will look to qualify for the NCAA meet as a team for the first time since 2009. The men currently rank at No. 6 in the Midwest behind Oklahoma State, Tulsa, Illinois, Oklahoma and Minnesota.
The top two teams in each region automatically qualify for the national championships, along with 13 teams chosen through an at-large selection process. The selection is based on wins against auto-qualifying teams. The top-five individuals not on an auto-qualifying team also earn a trip to the NCAA meet.
Last Time Out
The Cyclone women finished second at the Big 12 Championship in Stillwater, Okla. Iowa State did claim the meet's top two overall finishers, as junior Perez Rotich (1st – 20:48) and sophomore Erin Hooker (2nd – 20:49) went 1-2. The duo was joined on the All-Big 12 podium by Abby Caldwell, who finished 15th in 21:26. It marked the third time in school history that the ISU women have finished 1-2 at a Big 12 Championship meet.
The Iowa State men placed fourth at the conference meet behind all-conference performances from Toby Hardwick (7th – 24:39) and Nathan Rodriguez (13th – 24:58). It marked the third-consecutive season that the Iowa State men have had two runners claim All-Big 12 honors, something they had not previously done since 2009. Brian Llamas also claimed a top-20 finish, crossing the line 17th in 25:07.
Cyclone Notebook
*The Iowa State cross country teams will head to Lawrence, Kan. for the 2015 Midwest Regional on Friday, Nov. 13. The women's race will start at Noon CT, with the men's race at 1 p.m.
*The No. 16-ranked Iowa State women will be seeking their sixth-consecutive Midwest Regional Championship. The Cyclones took second their last time out at the Big 12 Championship.
*The Iowa State men are currently ranked No. 6 in a tough Midwest Region that includes No. 6 Oklahoma State, No. 14 Tulsa, No. 19 Illinois, T-No. 26 Minnesota and T-No. 26 Oklahoma.
*The Cyclone women currently rank No. 2 in the Midwest, behind only Oklahoma State. Iowa State had previously held the region's top spot for the entirety of the past two seasons.
*Junior Perez Rotich has emerged for the Cyclone women this season. The Eldoret, Kenya native was took home the Big 12 individual title two weeks ago in Stillwater, with a time of 20:48. Rotich also paced ISU at the Greater Louisville Classic and Wisconsin adidas Invitational. Rotich finished 23rd (20:12) at the Wisconsin meet, and 4th (17:05) in Louisville.
*The Cyclone men were led at the Big 12 Championship by sophomore Toby Hardwick, who took 7th place in 24:39. Hardwick was joined on the All-Big 12 podium by Nathan Rodriguez (13th - 24:58). It marked the third-straight year that the ISU men have had multiple All-Big 12 honorees.
*Rotich was joined on the women's All-Big 12 podium by teammates Erin Hooker (2nd - 20:49) and Abby Caldwell (15th - 21:26). Rotich and Hooker's 1-2 finish marked the third time ever an Iowa State duo has accomplished the feat at the Big 12 Championship.
*The Iowa State women have thus far been without either of their returning AllAmericans, with Crystal Nelson expected to miss the remainder of the 2015 season, and Bethanie Brown yet to compete.
*The Iowa State men also put on a strong performance at the Rim Rock Classic on Oct. 3. The Cyclones took home the team title, taking down Big 12 foe Kansas, as well as Nebraska, Rice and Southern Illinois, among others.
Players Mentioned
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