ISU Classic: Men's Competition Breakdown

AMES, Iowa – The 25th annual Iowa State Classic is set to begin as competitors from some of the nation's best men's and women's programs descend on the Harry Hoak Track for one of the country's top indoor track and field competitions.

Both collegiate and professional athletes will by vying for qualifying times and marks for the NCAA Indoor Championships and USA Indoor Championships. A brief preview of each event on the men's side is listed below.

60m
The top seed this weekend is Larry Lorenzo of Wisconsin, as the junior boasts a season-best 6.73 in the sprinting event. Adding a little NAIA flavor to the event is Seth Boomsma of Dakota State, who holds a PR of 6.74 in the 60.

200m
Iowa Central boasts the top seed in the men's 200 competition, as sophomore Eli Minor comes into the meet as the top seed and has an indoor 200 PR of 21.57. A pair of Loyola (Ill.) Ramblers make up the next two seeds in Jaz Hayes and Chris Strup.

400m
Three of the top four seeds in the men's 400-meter dash come from BYU. The odd man out among the top four is Illinois State's Anderson Devonish, who is ranked 16th in the country this season with a 46.83.

800m
The 800-meter event at the Iowa State Classic is one of the marque events and this year will not disappoint. Two-time Iowa State national champion over 800-meters Edward Kemboi will toe the line. Kemboi will have his hands full with World Championship semifinalist and collegian Clayton Murphy from Akron. Murphy is fresh off a 3:57.11 mile last weekend. The field is also made up of guys who have gone fast in their careers: a 1:45 man in Eliud Rutto from Middle Tennessee State, 1:46 performers from the SEC in Andres Arroyo and Ryan Schnulle of Florida, Jacopo Lahbi of Alabama, and Blair Henderson from LSU. Other notables include current top 25 NCAA performers Paul Duffey of Northeastern, Peter Archibald of Loyola (Ill.), and Brennan Munley of Michigan.

Mile
The busiest event at the Iowa State Classic, as 78 runners are entered to compete in the event. A pair of former Virginia Tech runners competing unattached headline the field in Michael Hammond and Grant Pollock. Those two along with seven other collegians have run under 4 minutes in the mile prior to this year's meet. The biggest question will be how many go under 4 this year?

3,000m
The 3000-meter invite section appears to be one that will see many school records disappear. Justyn Knight, Sean McGorty, Futzum Zeinallassie, and Morgan McDonald to name a few collegians that have run very fast already this season. Knight is fresh off a 3:56 mile as well as Zeinallassie. McDonald ran 3:57 last week and McGorty anchored Stanford's DMR with a 3:55 split for 1600 meters. Frezer Legesse running for Under Armour looks to make an impact to the field as well as Ole Miss duo of Sean Tobin and Robert Domanic. Michigan's Mason Ferlic is having a notable season as well and looks to add his presence.

5,000m
Last year's ISU Classic champion, Thomas Curtain of Virginia Tech returns to defend his title. He will have his hands full with Tulsa's two-time All-American Marc Scott comes in holding an indoor 5K PR of 13:36.81. 2015 NCAA Cross Country Top 10-performers Jim Rosa (Stanford), Jonathan Green (Georgetown), and Collin Bennie (Syracuse) will look to show their cross country talent on the track. The field includes in total 22 sub 14-minute 5K performers and will look to bring many NCAA qualifiers.

60m Hurdles
Cam Viney of Illinois is the man on the bubble for the NCAA Indoor Championships, with his 7.82 from last weekend ranking 16th in the NCAA this year. UNI has a strong contingent coming to the meet too, with five of the top-12 seeds coming to Ames from Cedar Falls.

4x400 Relay
The top ranked relay entered for the ISU Classic belongs to Iowa, with the Hawkeyes ranking No. 26 after running a 3:10.04 last weekend. Other teams that will contend for the win include Michigan, Illinois and BYU.

High Jump
The top seed, Kevin Spejcher of Iowa, has not gone over seven feet this season, but he did last season en route to finishing fourth in the ISU Classic. He will get strong competition from Jonathan Wells of Illinois, who is currently seventh in the NCAA with his 7-2 1/4 last weekend at Nebraska. The field has seven guys who have jumped above seven feet in their indoor careers.

Pole Vault
A pair of professionals, Jeff Coover and Zach Siegmeier, headline the pole vault field for the ISU Classic. Coover, an assistant coach at UNI, was a two-time All-American during his collegiate career at Indiana. The top collegiate competitor in the field is Zach Ziemek of Wisconsin, who comes into the weekend tied for 16th in the NCAA with a season-best of 17-4 1/2. South Dakota brings a strong contingent, led by Peter Chapman.

Long Jump
Shawn Koch of Northern Iowa is the top seed, coming into the meet with a season-best jump of 24-0 3/4. The top jump this season by a competitor in the field this weekend belongs to BYU's John Glazier, who is currently tied for 22nd in the country with his season-best leap of 24-11. There is a lot of local flair in the field, with six of the top nine seeds coming from Iowa universities.

Triple Jump
Once again, the top seed is Northern Iowa's Shawn Koch, who has a season best of 48-7 1/2. North Carolina's Darryl Shaw has the best jump of the indoor season among competitors, as he recorded a 50-3 1/4 earlier this season.

Shot Put
Unattached competitors highlight this field, led by two-time Drake Relays champion Curt Jensen, formerly of Illinois State, checking in as the top seed with a PR of 66-8 1/2. Ex-UNI All-American Justin Baker will also be among the top competitors in the field. Luke Johnson of Minnesota is the top college seed, ranking 11th in the country with a toss of 62-3 1/4 this season.

Weight Throw
A three-time Olmypian and five-time USA Champion in the hammer throw, A.G. Kruger returns to his home state to compete in the ISU Classic. A native of Sheldon and a Morningside College grad, Kruger is an eight-time indoor weight throw champion at the senior level, boasting a PR of 82-7 1/2. AJ Hicks of North Carolina leads the college field, ranking eighth in the NCAA this season with a throw of 71-3 1/4. William & Mary's Brian Waterfield is not far behind, ranked 10th with a throw of 70-10.