2024 Track and Field Season Review

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State track and field ends the 2024 season trending upward following a program-record 25 All-America honors, a national title and achieving many accomplishments not reached in decades.

2024 Track and Field

Record Book | Season Notes

Iowa State topped the 2019 program record of 19 All-America honors with 25 through indoor and outdoor season, led by Sydney Willits' long jump national title. The Cyclones crowned six Big 12 champions and broke eighth indoor and five outdoor school records. Six of those records had stood for over 20 years, including Cam Jones' outdoor shot put (43 years), Rachel Joseph's outdoor 400m (40 years) and Makayla Clark's 1,000m school record (33 years).

Seven Cyclones from the 2024 squad represented ISU on one of the biggest stages after earning their spot at U.S. Olympic Trials. Joseph (400m), Clark (800m) and Darius Kipyego (800m) advanced to semifinals while Willits moved on to the long jump final. Joseph and Kipyego both came up one spot short of advancing to the final, but hit personal records yet again. Joseph lowered her school record twice at Trials with 50.92 and 50.74, both under the Olympic standard, while Kipyego moved up to No. 2 in school history with a blazing 1:45.40.

Ready to battle for a spot on Team USA. https://t.co/YEXjsZ4b2k pic.twitter.com/hKnrtuBJux
— Iowa State Track & XC (@CycloneTrackXC) June 20, 2024

Outdoor Season

Outdoor season closed with the Iowa State men finishing 18th with 16 points, the highest finish and point total since 1996. The women secured the best outdoor finish since 2017 finishing 36th with six points. Both the Iowa State men and women scored at indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships in 2024, a first for the program since 1991. ISU entered outdoor nationals with a program-record 14 entries.

With the Iowa State men finishing 23rd at indoor nationals and fifth at cross country NCAA Championships in 2023-24, the men secure top 25 finishes in each of the three in the same season for the first time since 1993. The men rank at No. 7 in the final USTFCCCA Program of the Year standings with the placements.

At NCAA Championships, Iowa State was the only school to advance a runner to the national final in every men's distance race (800m, 1,500m, 5K, 10K, Steeple). Iowa State was also the lone program nationally to have a top-three finisher in both the men's and women's steeplechase. Gable Sieperda and Janette Schraft reset their respective school records while going under the auto U.S. Olympic Trials standard.

Finley Mclear and Darius Kipyego built on Iowa State's 800m tradition, becoming the 17th and 18th outdoor All-Americans, totaling 28 outdoor honors. They were the only teammates in the nation to both clock times of 1:45. Mclear also stands alone as the only 800m runner in the nation to finish top three at both indoor and outdoor nationals.

At Big 12 Championships, the men finished third with 90 points, the third top-three finish and third-highest point total in outdoor school history. ISU had a historic sweep in the men's 1,500m and went 1-2 in the 10K to total 42 team points in the two events alone. Iowa State is one of two Big 12 schools to go 1-2 multiple times in the men's 10K and just the second school to take first through third in the men's 1,500m in league history.

Jones earned the outdoor Big 12 shot put title to provide for the indoor and outdoor sweep, becoming the ninth in Big 12 men's history to do so in the same season.

Indoor Season

Willits put on a show as she was crowned the NCAA long jump champion with a school-record 22-1 1/2 (6.74m) entering as the No. 12 seed, topping her personal record by a foot and the school record by six inches. Willits is the first long jump champion and 44th total in Iowa State history. That finish led the women to place 20th (10 points) while the men placed 23rd (11 points), making for the first time since 1992 for the women and men to finish in the top 25 together.

NATIONAL CHAMPION.

Sydney Willits is the NCAA Long Jump National Champ! Sydney becomes the first to leap past 22 feet and first long jump national champion in Iowa State history with her school record of 22-1 1/2 (6.74m).#Jump4ISU pic.twitter.com/21YtS6VQFa
— Iowa State Track & XC (@CycloneTrackXC) March 9, 2024

Jones recorded a lengthy list of accomplishments, including making himself one of two men in the nation to qualify in both the weight throw and shot put at nationals.

Iowa State secured eight entries at NCAA Championships, where only the top 16 nationally in each event qualify, the second-highest total in school history and most since nine in 1997.

Throughout the season the ISU men's shot putters totaled an average of 60-4 (18.29m) to rank No. 1 in the nation in the USTFCCCA national event rankings, compiled from the average of each team's top four ranked athletes' season bests. The men's 800m squad ranked No. 2 with an average of 1:47.50, .08 off the top spot.

Three men broke four minutes in the mile; Said Mechaal (3:57.29, No. 1 ISU), Ezekiel Rop (3:58.77, No. 4 ISU) and Silas Winders (3:59.88, No. 10 ISU). Five of the 10 sub-4 miles in ISU history have come under Sudbury's direction.

For the complete season release, click here.

Players Mentioned

Makayla Clark

Cam Jones

Rachel Joseph

Darius Kipyego

Finley Mclear

Said Mechaal

Ezekiel Rop

Janette Schraft

Gable Sieperda

Sydney Willits

Silas Winders

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics