Too Anchor Gets ISU DMR Sixth at NCAA Indoors

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Iowa State's men's track and field distance medley relay picked up First Team All-America honors via a blistering anchor run from Nehemia Too to highlight the first day of competition at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships inside the Birmingham CrossPlex.

Jason Gomez, Frank Hayes, Alex Lomong and Nehemia Too finished in sixth place in 9:28.62 on the back of Too's field-best 1,600m anchor carry of 3:54.65, which saw ISU move up from tenth place to sixth.

Jason Gomez battled among the leaders on the leadoff leg, but ran out of gas in the final 200 meters, seeing him go from second down to 11th at the handoff. Frank Hayes was able to get ISU back up a spot to 10th on the 400m leg, which Alex Lomong maintained on the handoff to Nehemia Too.

Too was able to get back with the lead pack, as all 12 teams got back into one pack with four laps to go. Oklahoma State made an aggressive move that strung out the field again. Too rallied strongly, while he was unable to stay with the lead five teams that battled out for the national title, he was able to move the Cyclones up to sixth place, passing Washington on the backstretch on the bell lap and getting the quartet First Team All-America honors in 9:28.62.

Gomez earned his second career First Team All-America honor and third All-America honor overall as a Cyclone. Frank Hayes is now a three-time All-American across his collegiate career, his first as a Cyclone and first First Team nod. Lomong and Too were both members of ISU's Second Team All-America indoor DMR last season, Lomong earning his third All-America distinction as a Cyclone.

In the men's 5,000-meter run, Kiptoo did was he is known for, taking the pace out at a furious rate, clocking his first 400 meters in 58.52 and first 800m in 2:01.83. Kiptoo was the leader for the first eight laps before handing off the lead at Florida State's Adriaan Wildschutt. Kiptoo retook the lead for a lap at the halfway portion, but Wildschutt made a move on the next lap to attempt to string out the field a little more.

Kiptoo was able to stick with it as they check in at 3,000 meters in 8:05, but the pace began to pick up and Kiptoo was left behind by the milers as the pace saw him dropped to sixth with four laps to go. He was unable to find the momentum back as he fell back to his eventual finishing spot of 12th place in 13:41.71. Kiptoo earned Second Team All-America honors, the sixth of his Iowa State career across track and field and cross country.

Up Next
Wesley Kiptoo will run in the men's 3,000-meter run final tomorrow at 5 p.m. on ESPN3.

Team Scores
Men: 1. Princeton – 20; T-20. Iowa State – 3

Iowa State Results
5,000m Run (M): 1. Abdihamid Nur, Northern Arizona – 13:19.01; 12. Wesley Kiptoo, Iowa State – 13:41.71
Distance Medley Relay (M): 1. Texas – 9:25.20; 6. Iowa State (Jason Gomez, Frank Hayes, Alex Lomong, Nehemia Too) – 9:28.62

Players Mentioned

Jason Gómez

Frank Hayes

Wesley Kiptoo

Alex Lomong

Nehemia Too

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics