Festus Lagat

Photo by: Liz Parke

Position:
Distance
Weight:
null
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Eldoret, Kenya
Prev School:
Gillette College

Awards and Honors
Five-Time All-American
First Team All-American (Indoor: Distance Medley Relay - 2019. Outdoor: 800m Run - 2019, 2021)
All-American (2020 Indoor: 800m Run, DMR)
Big 12 Champion (Indoors: 2020 - DMR)
All-Big 12 (XC: 2020, 2021)
2020 NCAA Indoor Championships Qualifier (800m, DMR)
Big 12 Track & Field Athlete of the Week (Apr. 10, 2019)
USTFCCCA All-Academic (T&F: 2020, 2021; XC: 2020)
Academic All-Big 12 First Team (T&F: 2021; XC: 2021)
Academic All-Big 12 Second Team (T&F: 2020; XC: 2020)
Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll (Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020)

Personal Records

800m	1:44.47	2021 Outdoor
	1:47.41	2021 Indoor
1,000m	2:18.98	2021 Indoor
1,500m	3:39.93	2021 Outdoor
Mile	4:00.83	2019 Indoor
3,000m	8:39.40	2015 Indoor

2021-22
XC: Ran for Iowa State in three meets, helping guide the Cyclones to a second place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships … was the Cyclones’ fourth finisher at the NCAA Championships, taking 44th in 29:34.8 ... earned All-Big 12 honors with fifth place finish at the Big 12 Championship … opened season with 17th-place effort at the Wisconsin Nuttycombe Invitational, helping ISU secure the team title.

Summer 2021
Advanced to final of 800-meter run at the Kenyan Olympic Trials, finishing fifth ... advanced to the finals via a then-season-best 1:45.80 ... posted a new personal best of 1:44.47 to win the Sound Running Sunset Tour in Azusa, California.

2020-21
Outdoor: Competed in six meets for Iowa State … Earned First Team All-America honors in 800-meter run with fifth-place finish at NCAA Outdoor Championships … qualified for National Championships with sixth-place effort at 800m at NCAA West Preliminaries … claimed silver medal in 1,500-meter run at Big 12 Championships, also qualified for 800m final at conference championships … took second to former NCAA Champion Bryce Hoppel in 800m at Rock Chalk Classic in season-best 1:46.09, which at the time was the top mark in the nation on the season … was member of ISU’s winning 4x800 and distance medley relay teams at Drake Relays, helping the Cyclone men defend the men’s Relays Cup … opened outdoor season at Hayward Premiere with personal best 3:39.93 in 1,500m, taking third … was second in 800m at Hayward Premiere.

Indoor: Exhausted eligibility.

XC: Finished 53rd at the NCAA Championships... finished 32nd at the FSU Winter XC Classic behind a time of 24:14.4... earned All-Big 12 honors with a third-place finish at the Big 12 Championship, posting an 8k time of 23:26.1 … First Team Academic All-Big 12… took fourth individually at the Cowboy Jamboree, posting a finishing time of 24:10.6 (8k) … opened the season with a runner-up finish at the Bob Timmons Classic, running the 6k course in 18:19.6.

2019-20
Outdoor: Season canceled due to COVID-19 outbreak worldwide.

Indoor: Took part in six meets for Iowa State … qualified for NCAA Indoor Championships in 800-meter run and as part of distance medley relay team, with the meet being canceled due to COVID-19 outbreak worldwide … anchored distance medley relay to title at the Big 12 Championships, along with earning silver medals in the 1,000 meter run and mile, helping the ISU men win the team title … broke school record in 1,000 meter run at the Jimmy Grant Invitational, clocking a 2:20.88 … led-off for school record distance medley relay squad (9:28.22) at the Indiana Relays … won the 800 meter run at the Cyclone Open and Iowa State Classic, notching a season-best 1:47.50 at the latter … took third in the mile at the Wieczorek Invite … finished third in the 800m at the Indiana Relays.

XC: 2019 squad member.

2018-19
Outdoor: Finished the season on a huge note, breaking Iowa State’s school record in the 800-meter run at 1:45.05 en route to finishing third and earning First Team All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships … qualified for NCAAs with a then-personal best 1:46.58 at 800m at the NCAA West Preliminaries … finished second in the 1,500-meter run (3:42.59) and fourth in the 800-meter run (1:46.93) at the Big 12 Championships … anchored for winning 4x800 (7:20.77) and distance medley relay (9:48.63) teams at the Drake Relays, leading the Cyclones to a winning performance in the Hy-Vee Cup … clocked a personal best 3:44.40 and finished second in the 1,500-meter run at the Cardinal Classic … posted a then-NCAA-leading 1:47.14 to win the 800-meter run at the Sun Angel Classic, earning Big 12 Athlete of the Week for his effort.

Indoor: Earned First Team All-America honors running lead-off leg of Iowa State’s fifth-place distance medley relay (9:33.86) at NCAA Indoor Championships … earned a pair of silver medals via second-place finishes in the 800-meter run (1:48.35) and distance medley relay (9:57.95) at Big 12 Indoor Championships … moved up to No. 2 in ISU history in the 800m with effort at Big 12 Indoors … helped clinch Iowa State’s DMR’s ticket to NCAA Indoors, leading off for squad which finished third at JDL DMR Invite in 9:35.44 … recorded personal best 4:00.83 in the mile to finish eighth at UW Invitational … took fourth in 800-meter run at Iowa State Classic (1:48.80).

XC: Competed at the Nuttycombe Invitational and the Hawkeye Invitational… Iowa State's second finisher at the Nuttycombe Invite, taking 21st… won the Hawkeye Invitational individually.

2017-18
Outdoor: Participated in seven meets for Iowa State … qualified for the NCAA West preliminaries in the 1,500-meter run, finishing 25th (3:47.18) … clocked a personal best 3:46.16 to earn the bronze medal in the 1,500-meter run at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships … led-off for first place 4x800m relay (7:27.98) and second-place distance medley relay (9:42.95) at the Drake Relays … ran personal-best 1:48.45 and finished sixth in 800-meter run at the Sun Angel Track Classic … also ran the 800 at the Tulsa Duels, Florida Relays and Cardinal Classic.

Indoor: Competed in two meets for the Cyclones … finished 11th in the 1,000 at the Big 12 Indoor Championships (2:32.94) … competed in the mile at the Iowa State Classic (4:13.10).

XC: Finished 32nd at the Big 12 Championship with a time of 24:52.7, where Iowa State won its first Big 12 title … finished in the top-100 at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational with a 92nd-place finish in 24:39 … won the 2017 Hawkeye Invitational in his first race as a Cyclone.

Before Iowa State
One of the top junior college track athletes in the country… won the 2016 NJCAA D1 Outdoor Track National Title in the 800 and 1500 races… took the 2016 NJCAA D1 Indoor titles in the one mile and 1,000.

Personal
Born on Oct. 10, 1996... son of Linah Kemboi and Charles Maiyo... enrolled in graduate school in Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies ... earned Bachelor's Degree from Iowa State.