Jon Brown- Hall of Fame Class of 2006

Courtesy: Athletics Communications
http://www.cyclones.com/
Jon Brown- Hall of Fame Class of 2006

Jon Brown earned the distinction as one of Iowa State's top distance runners in school history while competing for the Cyclones from 1989-92. The Preston, England native was a six-time Big Eight champion and a four-time All-American in track and cross country, as the ISU track & field and cross country programs were among the nation's best during his time in Ames.

Brown quickly earned respect in his freshman season when he was the sixth-man on ISU's 1989 NCAA cross country championship team. Brown finished 59th out of 181 runners in the NCAA field, as the Cyclones won their first of two NCAA cross country team titles.

He continued to improve as a sophomore, earning All-America honors at the 1990 NCAA Cross Country championship, placing fourth to help the Cyclones finish NCAA runners-up. He recorded his first Big Eight title at the 1991 outdoor meet, winning the 1,500m race and he earned All-America honors in the 10,000m run at the 1991 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship, clocking in at 28:38.36.

As a junior, Brown had one of the greatest all-around seasons in ISU's storied track & field program. He claimed five Big Eight titles, one NCAA crown and finished second at the Big Eight Cross Country Championship.

Brown started his outstanding 1991-92 season by earning All-America honors at the NCAA cross country meet, placing 14th individually to help ISU finish second for the second year in a row. In his three seasons as a member of the ISU cross country team, the Cyclones finished first, second and second at the NCAA meet and won three Big Eight crowns. Next up for Brown was the indoor season. He captured three Big Eight titles, winning the 5,000m, 3,000m and the distance medley.

He capped off the 1992 indoor season by claiming the NCAA indoor championship in the 5,000 meters. His time of 13:42.93 eclipsed the NCAA record, which was broken the next year by ISU's Jonah Koech. He ended his outstanding season by capturing Big Eight outdoor titles in the 1,500 and 5,000.

After his incredible junior season, Brown opted to forgo his senior year to concentrate on international competition. He ended his career by helping the Cyclones win seven Big Eight team titles (two indoor, two outdoor, three cross country) and two runner-up Big Eight championships (one indoor, one outdoor).

Brown enjoyed incredible success in international competition, establishing himself as one Great Britain's top distance runners. He won the 1993 United Kingdom championship in the 5k and was the European Cross Country champion in 1996. A three-time Olympian, he qualified for his first Olympics in 1996, placing 10th in the 10k at the Atlanta Olympics.

Brown later focused his attention to the marathon, where he became one of the world's top marathoners. He missed out on a medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics by placing fourth in the marathon, finishing as the top European with a time of 2:11:17. The following year (2001) he placed sixth at the New York Marathon. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, he was once again one spot away from a medal by placing fourth with a 2:12:26 clocking.

Iowa State University Athletics

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