Iowa State Secures Eight NCAA Championships Entries

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State secured eight entries for NCAA Indoor Nationals in Boston March 7-9. Six individuals qualified throughout the women's 400-meter, men's 800m, men's 5,000m, women's long jump and men's weight throw and shot put while the distance medley relay is headed back to nationals. Eight is the second-highest total of indoor qualifiers in Iowa State history and most since nine men and women qualified in 1997.

Darius Kipyego qualifies for his first NCAA Championships, entering as the No. 4 seed in the 800-meter with a personal record of 1:46.71 set at the Iowa State Classic. Finley Mclear joins him as the No. 11 seed with a time of 1:46.97 set at the Tyson Invite. This will be Mclear's third trip to nationals and first at ISU after earning two First Team All-America honors in the 2021 season, finishing runner-up in indoor season (1:45.91) and fourth in outdoor season (1:45.80). Kipyego and Mclear become the 12th and 13th Cyclones to qualify for the indoor 800m.

Cam Jones booked his return trip to indoor nationals in the weight throw, while qualifying for the first time in the shot put. After a Big 12 title-winning and school-record breaking performance of 64-3 3/4 (19.60m), Jones shot up to now rank No. 11 in the nation. The thrower's weight throw mark of 73-2 3/4 (22.32m) set at the Tyson Invite also qualifies him for nationals at No. 15. Jones becomes the first in Iowa State history to be a multi-year weight throw qualifier. Jones is also the second in program history and first since 1997 to double with the weight throw and shot put.

Sydney Willits is locked into the championship, qualifying in the long jump for the second time and first time indoors. Willits set her nationals-qualifying mark of 21-1 1/2 (6.44) at the Tyson Invite and enters indoor nationals with the 12th-best mark in the nation. The junior is the fourth woman in ISU history to qualify for the indoor long jump and first since 2018.

The distance medley relay returns to nationals with a qualifying time of 9:24.22. Kipyego, Gus Langford, Mclear and Said Mechaal set the second-fastest time in Iowa State history, .15 seconds off the school record. The school record (9:24.07) and time set this season rank as the 18th and 19th-fastest time in collegiate history. ISU's DMR has now qualified six of the last 10 seasons.

Rachel Joseph is nationals bound in the 400m for the first time in her young career. Her mark of 52.05 set at the Tyson Invite locks her down as the No. 15 seed. Joseph is the first woman in school history to qualify for the indoor 400m dash. At Big 12 Championships, the sophomore broke the program record for the fifth time with 51.98 (52.09 altitude conversion) to finish runner-up.

Said Mechaal is also a first-time qualifier with his No. 14-seed time of 13:27.43 in the 5,000m set at the Valentine Invite. Mechaal ranks third in Iowa State history with the time and is the 10th in school history to qualify for the indoor 5,000m.

NCAA Championships begin Thursday, March 7 with the weight throw.

Iowa State Indoor National Qualifiers

400m (W): Rachel Joseph

800m (M): Darius Kipyego, Finley Mclear

5,000m (M): Said Mechaal

Long Jump (W): Sydney Willits

Shot Put (M): Cam Jones

Weight Throw (M): Cam Jones

Distance Medley Relay (M)