On a Mission: Cyclone Cross Country Primed and Focused

As one of the best programs historically on campus, it might have come as a shock when the Iowa State men's and women's cross country teams finished the 2022 season at the NCAA Midwest Regional meet in Columbia, Missouri. While four men and women went on to represent the Cyclones individually at the NCAA Championships in Stillwater, neither team competed at the national meet for the first time since 2006. It was especially disappointing for the Cyclone men after finishing as the 2021 National Runners-Up that concluded a run of five-consecutive top-10 finishes at NCAA Championships from 2017-2021. The women had also finished in the top-30 in 12 of the last 13 seasons entering 2022, highlighted by a runner-up finish in 2014 and other top-10 finishes in 2010, 2011 and 2021.

"(The men) had a six-year streak of going to nationals and then last year, unfortunately, we had a bad race at Nuttycombe and it affected our at-large points to qualify," said Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Jeremy Sudbury. "We went into the regional meet needing to finish in the top-two as a team, and we unfortunately lost to Oklahoma State and Tulsa who were both top-10 teams last year."

Despite the undesired team finish to the year, both squads still placed in the top-five at the NCAA regional meet after a season of adversity. While the men experienced challenges at Nuttycombe, the women felt overwhelmed with physical hardships week in and week out. However, the experiences that haunted the Cyclones over the last 10 months have propelled runners forward with new purpose entering the 2023 season.

Women's head coach Amy Rudolph stated, "Last season we had a lot of injuries, it just seemed like every week something went against us. I feel like this team has fought a good fight. We've circled back around, and we're in a really good spot."

The Cyclone women return everyone from the 2022 roster, including four upperclassmen Rudolph expects to lead an eager group of underclassmen. Dana Feyen and Madelynn Hill represented Iowa State at the NCAA Championships last season and return for their fifth years of eligibility along with fifth-year classmate Janette Schraft. Feyen punched her ticket to the NCAA Championships with a fifth-place individual finish at regionals after earning Big 12 honors for the third-straight season. Finishing seventh at regionals, Hill qualified as ISU's second individual woman for the NCAA Championships. At the NCAA outdoor track & field championships, Schraft became the first steeplechase All-American for the Cyclone women, capturing a 17th-place finish in 10:05.58. She broke 10 minutes in the event (9:57.55) to set the school record earlier in the season, becoming the only Iowa State woman to record a sub-10 minute time. Another key piece to the roster will be redshirt-junior Brenna Cohoon, who ran all five cross country meets for the Cyclones a season ago and earned All-Midwest Region honors with a 24th-place finish.

"We're bringing back the three fifth years, and they're on a mission," said Rudolph. "They know not everyone gets this opportunity, and they were my first recruiting class so they're a special group to begin with, but they're on a mission to bring the whole team with them. So I'm excited for them to be the leaders in that process."

While Feyen and Hill bring NCAA championship participation experience, a majority of the group will not be strangers to the course in Stillwater, the 2023 NCAA Midwest Regional site.

"Something really cool happened, (Dana and Madelynn) qualified for nationals individually, and then about three-quarters of our team traveled to Oklahoma State to the national meet," Rudolph recalled. "So, they got to see the course from a spectator's perspective, and we had talked about that. To get down there and see how this race is run because that's now our regional meet next year. I think it really motivated them for the rest of the year and into the summer."

On the men's side, Gable Sieperda returns for his fifth year after qualifying for the NCAA Championships in 2022, posting a top-75 finish at Stillwater. Sieperda earned All-Midwest Region honors with an eighth-place finish in Columbia. Sudbury says Tim Sindt will be another leader to watch on this year's squad after he competed in four meets a season ago, including a top-50 finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional. Ezekiel Rop also looks to improve upon a solid year in 2022, earning All-Region honors with a 14th-place finish and All-Conference honors with a fourth-place finish at the Big 12 Championships.

"Gable and Tim are our older athletes on the roster who have been around for a while. They were part of that NCAA runner-up team and were on the team that got fourth at nationals. Sothey've seen the high-level success that our program has had and actually contributed towards that especially in 2021. In addition to that, we empower our athletes to all be captains where everyone holds each other accountable, especially on such a diverse team."

While the Iowa State men's roster features seven Iowans, the group has ties across the country and the world with athletes from Rhode Island, Illinois, Tennessee, Kansas, California, Missouri, Nebraska, Minnesota and Texas in the United States, as well as Kenya, South Africa and Spain. While athletes have come from all across the world to join the program in Ames, Sudbury emphasizes the common goal each member on the roster is striving for this season.

"We were faced with the tough task of being on the outside looking in at the national meet last year, so I think our main goal is to get back to nationals. The season is going to reflect that in terms of our schedule."

On the schedule this season is the Virginia Invitational as Charlottesville will also be the host city for the 2023 NCAA championships. The trip will not just be important preparation for athletes to run the course, but also to experience general travel logistics. Also on the schedule is Nuttycombe, a tradition for the program considering its ties with former coaches and athletics director Jamie Pollard, a Wisconsin native. For the first time in over a decade, Iowa State will host a regular season meet, the Cyclone Preview set for Friday, September 1st. As the Big 12 championships host, the Cyclones will get a dry run on their home course in a race-day setting.

Sudbury and Rudolph agree that hosting the conference championships could make for a great atmosphere for their squads with Cyclone cross country fans swarming the course on October 28th. With no Cyclone football game in Ames that weekend, fans have the opportunity to see two great races as the Big 12 welcomes new members BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston. Both the BYU men and women are coming off of top-10 NCAA championship finishes in 2022. The men were third overall in Stillwater and the women were eighth, bringing more national talent into an already tough conference.

"We talked about coming into Big 12 championships and how special it is to be at home. It looks a little different with the four new schools, BYU specifically being a distance powerhouse," said Rudolph. "They're going to be ready, they're going to want to make a statement themselves, and how can we put out our best performance that day at home, knowing that we could do that and it still be third and it doesn't distract from what our goals are for the rest of the season."

Earlier this week, the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released its preseason polls. The Iowa State women are second in the region behind Big 12 foe Oklahoma State. The men are also top-three behind Oklahoma State and Tulsa, the top-two finishers at the 2022 Midwest Regional. The men also rank 25th national while the women cracked the top-30, ranked 27th. Rudolph acknowledges the bode of confidence so early in the preseason, but is focused on taking it one race at a time.

"The rankings are the rankings, but at the end of the day everyone has to suit up and race. That's our thought process going into it. I'm very happy going into it."

On a Mission: Cyclone Cross Country Primed and Focused

Players Mentioned

Brenna Cohoon

Dana Feyen

Madelynn Hill

Ezekiel Rop

Janette Schraft

Gable Sieperda

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On a Mission: Cyclone Cross Country Primed and Focused

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Players Mentioned

Brenna Cohoon

Dana Feyen

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Gable Sieperda

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