Mile posts: Items on Aspel Kiprob, Mercy Biwott, Gable Sieperda, Isaac Basten, Dana Feyen, Kassie Parker, Aubrie Fisher, Christopher Collet

The Iowa Central Community College men’s two-year run as NJCAA Division I national cross country team champions didn’t end without a tough fight Saturday.

The Tritons entered nationals at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla., as the second-ranked team by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association and they held that position in hot and humid conditions, which didn’t favor a team from the upper Midwest, to capture their ninth top-two national finish in 10 years under director and coach Dee Brown. Iowa Central was beaten only by top-ranked Colby, which dominated with 38 points and four runners in the top 10 to win its first national title.

The Tritons, national champions in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2021, lead off this edition of this edition of the WEEKEND UPDATE of the best performances by Iowa-based collegiate and postcollegiate distance runners and triathletes.

Sophomore Aspel Kiprob grabbed sixth place in 24:45.1 over the 4.97-mile course to earn All-American honors again and lead the international-driven team’s 115 points. Kiprob is from Kenya. Fellow sophomore Yared Kidane, the Region XI champion two weeks ago, took 19th place in 25:33.3. Kidane is from Sweden. Jed Elmbarki, a freshman from Tunisia who has emerged in recent races, placed 24th in 26:06.2. Will Sacay, from Shoreview, Minn., was next in 29th in 26:11.4 and the final scorer was sophomore Zander Cobb in 40th place in 26:28.3. Brady Hogan, a sophomore from Waukon, was the sixth runner in 52nd place in 27:00.7.

Iowa Central was off the podium in the first half of the race, moved up to third halfway through the race and was tied for second with 1,000 meters to go before closing well.

“It was a hard day to run,” Brown said in a Fort Dodge Messenger article. “It was hot and very humid, and the course was damp and slow. The best way to describe both teams was gutsy and gritty. They fought. They outperformed.”

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The Iowa Central women landed exactly where they were ranked: in fifth place. The Tritons were paced by two All-Americans, sophomore Chloe Garcia Grafing and former Atlantic High standout and sophomore Taylor McCreedy. Garcia Grafing, from Minneapolis, covered the 5K distance in 18:38.5. McCreedy was 11th in 18:57.6. The final scorers for the Tritons were sophomore Zinash Valen (44th, 20:14.2), sophomore Britney Brown (50th, 20:30.2) and sophomore Kenzie Kaperka (108th, 22:18.3). Valen is from Owatonna, Minn., Brown from Jamaica and Kaperka is a former Davenport North athlete.

Iowa Western was buoyed, as it has been all season, by sophomore standout Mercy Biwott. The sophomore from Kenya earned national runner-up honors for the second consecutive season by running 18:05.8 for the 3.1-mile distance. El Paso’s Faith Nyathi again topped Biwott in the run to the finish, clocking a 17:47.8 to repeat as national champion.

Then, on Tuesday, November 15 it was the Iowa Central women who upstaged their men’s team by taking the women’s half marathon championship in Tallahassee. The trio of Garcia Grafing, Valen and McCreedy finished fourth, fifth and sixth to score 15 points to top New Mexico JC for the national title. The Tritons’ sixth national title for this competition ties for the most in NJCAA history.

Grafing covered the 13.1-mile distance in 1:28:33, with Valen and McCreedy coming across in identical 1:29:03 times to complete the winning trio. El Paso’s Faith Nyathi repeated as half marathon champion by cruising to an easy victory by over seven minutes in 1:19:59.

The Iowa Central men settled for third place with 27 points, taking a tiebreaker over New Mexico. But the Tritons can claim the national champion as Kiprob outdueled two other runners for the title. Kiprob ran 1:07:12 to top El Paso’s Amos Yego by seven seconds and Adam Biwott by 15 seconds. Elmbarki finished ninth in 1:09:01 and freshman Ayenew Devany rebounded by serving as the third and final scoring runner for the Tritons in 17th place in 1:11:03. Kidane came across in 20th in 1:11:51 and Hogan took 22nd in 1:12:10.

El Paso also came up short in the team race when Northwest Tech (Kansas) won a tiebreaker to claim the national title.

Now on to NCAA Division I cross country regionals, where several Iowa natives and collegians punched their ticket to nationals Saturday in Stillwater, Okla. That list includes four Iowa State athletes and a Drake All-American on the track from Friday’s Midwest Regional in Columbia, Mo.

Gable Sieperda, a sophomore and former Central Lyon-GLR prep, will be the lone returning runner from the Cyclones’ national runner-up team from a year ago after placing eighth in the l0K race. Sieperda charged up through the field to lead the Cyclones in 29:43.8. Southern Indiana transfer and senior Titus Winders also moved up late and finished 10th to secure his spot at first spot nationals, announced on Sunday, in 29:47.8. Winders was a two-time All-American in Division II cross country.

Squeezed in between the Cyclones was Drake University senior Isaac Basten. The two-time Missouri Valley Conference champion qualified for nationals for a second consecutive season by running a personal-best time of 29:45.1. He will look to make a big improvement on a 217th-place finish from a season ago.

Juniors Dana Feyen and Madelynn Hill will make return trips to nationals for Iowa State after earning at-large individuals selections. Feyen, a Wisconsin native, grabbed fifth place in the 6K race in 20:13.0 to lead the Cyclones for the fourth time in five meets. Hill, the Iowa State leader at the Griak Invitational, was seventh in 20:18.9 to become, like Feyen, a two-time All-Midwest Region honoree.

The Cyclone men could not grab one of the at-large spots, announced Saturday, after finishing third in the team race with 73 points. Instead, it was No. 4 Oklahoma State and No. 6 Tulsa who snagged the two automatic qualifying spots by scoring 49 points apiece. Iowa State, the national runner-up a year ago in Tallahassee, still had two other runners finish with all-region honors. Senior Ezekiel Rop was battling for the lead entering the final mile before slipping back to 14th place in 29:54.1. Senior Chad Johnson was next in 15th place in 29:56.2. Both appear to have eligiblity should they want to pursue another season. Junior Kelvin Bungei narrowly missed all-region recognition, finishing 26th in 30:09.4. Former Ankeny High runner Timothy Sindt, returning after missing the Big 12 meet with an injury, was 47th in 30:31.2 while Silas Winders, the younger brother of Titus, took 57th in 30:39.4.

For the fourth-place Iowa State women, sophomore Brenna Cohoon became an all-region selection for the first time by taking 24th place in 20:44.2. Junior Janette Schraft produced arguably her strongest race of the season, placing 26th and missing all-region by just 1.2 seconds and one spot. The former Glenwood prep ran 20:45.6. The rest of the Cyclones included freshman Ashlyn Keeney, who charged through the field to place 53rd in 21:11.0. Former Charles City prep and sophomore Kiki Connell placed 82nd in 21:37.4, with freshman Halle Mestery rounding out the squad in 115th in 21:54.2. Oklahoma State was the champion with 58, and Northwestern earned the second automatic spot in second with 88 points. Bradley was third with 99.

Drake’s men had several highlights outside of Basten. Sophomore Aziz Jdai, from Tunisia, finished well to take 28th place in a new best of 30:09.9. Sophomore Enzo Marie, from France, also ran a new best for the less commonly raced 10K distance with a 30:44.2 for 64th place. The final scorers were freshman Aidan Ramsey (93rd, 31:13.1) and senior Pur Biel (132nd, 31:44.3). Ramsey is a former Dallas Center-Grimes prep making his 10K debut while Biel transferred from Iowa Central and a ran a new 10K best. The Bulldogs were 10th in the team race with 320 points.

The Bulldog women were paced by sophomore Brooke Mullins in 40th place in 20:59.6. Mullins was trailed next by fellow Australian Tyla Lumley in 64th place in 21:20.8. Sophomore Emilie Meyer took 79th in a new best time of 21:36.5, with freshman Katherine Lawson achieving a new best time of 21:51.5 for 110th. Lawson is another Australian. The Bulldogs were 15th in the team competition.

Iowa senior Emma Gordon produced a memorable race in what has been a memorable season for the former Ankeny Centennial prep. Gordon ran a new best of 20:37.1 to finish in 18th place to become only the third Hawkeye female in 10 season to place in the top 20 at regionals. That time is seventh best in program history. Gordon improved 98 spots from regionals in 2021 and as a sophomore was 157 at the Midwest meet.

“Emma Gordon was the best story of the day,” Iowa coach Randy Hasenbank said. “It would be hard to find another athlete who has come as far. Just a fantastic performance. Stick with it, believe in yourself and be consistent. It is not easy, it’s not supposed to be easy. Very proud of her accomplishment today.”

Sophomore Kelli Tosic ran to a 75th-place effort in 21:33.1, with fellow sophomores Brooke McKee and Ellie Twedt also cracking the top 100. McKee, a former Johnston High prep, was 87th in 21:40.1. Twedt, a former Ballard of Huxley prep, broke 22 minutes for the first time in 21:47.4. Twedt was 100th. Sophomore and former Sioux City Heelnan prep Amber Aesoph was the final scorer for the 14th-place Hawkeyes in 124th in a new career-best 21:59.9.

Senior Konnor Sommer, a former Pleasant Valley prep, erased the memory of a poor performance at last year’s regional meet by leading the Iowa men at a meet for the first time this season. Sommer ran a new best of 30:48.4 for 10K to improve by nearly three minutes from regionals in Iowa City a season ago. Junior teammate Nick Trattner, the Iowa leader at the Big Ten meet, placed 74th in a best of 30:57.3. Freshman Miles Sheppard, a native of Keokuk who ran for an Illinois school, placed 98th in 31:15.7 in his 10K debut. Sophomore Aidan King was right behind in 99th in 31:16.2. The final scorer was Ian Geisler in 122nd place in 31:35.2. Iowa was without Max Murphy, a top runner all season and a former Pleasant Valley prep. The Hawkeyes were 17th in the team race.

Leading the Omaha women, as she has all season, was former Valley High star and freshman Kamryn Ensley in 32nd place. Ensley set a new school record by running 20:54.2 and producing the second-best finish at regionals for the Mavericks. Omaha coach Cliff Cisar said Ensley’s previous school record from the Summit League Championships came on a course that was short and, thus, not a valid record.

“It’s exciting to see how consistent she was throughout the year and how much she improved from her senior year (of high school),” Cisar said in an Omaha press release.

Former Ames High standout Noah Kohut-Jackson was the No. 2 runner for Minnesota, with the sophomore and Iowa State transfer placing 50th in 30:33.2 in his first college 10K. The Gophers were a strong ninth in the team race with 283 points.

Fifth-year South Dakota senior Merga Gemeda finished off his college cross country career with a 65th-place finish in 30:46.7. That time is a new best for the former Sioux City North prep who is a three-time All-Summit League runner and led the Coyotes in every race. Former Valley High runner Helen Gould, a fourth-year junior, was the No. 3 runner for the South Dakota women after running a season-best 22:21.5.

Nebraska’s Jerry Jorgenson was the No. 5 runner for the 24th-place Huskers. The former Treynor prep took 154th place in 32:04.2.

Former Dowling Catholic prep Kelsey Schweizer of Urbandale was the No. 6 runner for ninth-place Missouri on its home course. Schweizer placed 118th in 21:57.4.

Another former Valley High runner, Lauren Schulze of Clive, was the No. 7 runner for Illinois State. Schulze placed 156th in 22:36.0 as the Redbirds were 17th in the team race.

Other Iowans and former Iowa collegians also fared well in other regionals. Former Linn-Mar prep standout Ryan Murphy will be headed to nationals after his team, Arkansas, won the South Central Regional on Friday at the Dale Watts Course in College Station, Texas. The Arkansas senior was the No. 5 runner for the Razorbacks, who scored 49 points to edge Texas, 49-55, for the team title. Murphy, a senior, covered the 10K course in 31:34.4.

“The guys followed the race plan perfectly,” said Arkansas men’s head coach Chris Bucknam, who came to Arkansas from Northern Iowa. “The guys handled it really well. I’m pleased with their performance. We got the job done.”

Arkansas has qualified for nationals in 11 consecutive years and 48 times in 49 years, with the lone exception coming in 2011. Arkansas also had the individuals region champion in sophomore Patrick Kiprop, who is the first Razorbacks regional champion since former Iowa Central runner Stanley Kebenei achieved the feat in 2014.

Baylor senior Ellie (Friesen) Hodge finished her college cross country career with an all-region honor. The former Crestwood (Cresco) prep star took 22nd place in 21:08.5 to pace the Bears’ eighth-place finish. Hodge is the first Baylor runner to become all-region since 2017. Her time also was just five seconds from her personal time ever.

The Notre Dame men’s team, with Matthew Carmody playing a big role, also is headed to nationals after placing second in the Great Lakes Regional at Terre Haute, Ind. The former Dowling Catholic star and Irish junior was the No. 4 runner in 17th place in 30:25.5 as Notre Dame scored 61 points, second only to Wisconsin’s 50.

Toledo gained an at-large selection to nationals after a strong showing this season that culminated with a sixth-place finish at a difficult Great Lakes Regional. The Rockets scored 131 points to finish just 15 behind third-place Michigan, seven behind Michigan State and two behind Wisconsin. Helping lead the way was former Iowa Western great Faith Linga, a multi-time NJCAA champion. Linga, a senior, took 10th overall to earn all-region honors in the 6K race in 20:17.1. Toledo is led by former Iowa State women’s coach Andrea Grove-McDonough, who also led the Cyclones and Connecticut to nationals.

Former Iowa Western star Nicholas Kiprotich earned an all-region medal at the Southeast Regional event at a wet E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park course in Louisville, Ky. The Liberty University athlete placed 16th in the 10K in 30:08.7 to become the first all-region runner for Liberty since 2018. Liberty placed ninth in the team race.

On the women’s side, the Hostetler sisters were the fifth and sixth runners for the Flames. Anna Hostetler, a redshirt senior from Parnell and former Mid-Prairie prep, ran the 6K course in 21:45.5 for 73rd place. Marie, a junior, was 86th in 22:01.7. The Liberty women also were ninth in the team race.

Moving to the NCAA Division III ranks, where the Wartburg College women showed they could be the team to beat when the national meet will be contested Saturday at the Forest Akers Cross Country Course in Lansing, Mich. The No. 2-ranked Knights scored 36 points to top No. 1 University of Chicago in the NCAA Midwest Regional at Batavia, Ill., on Saturday. It was the Knights’ third consecutive Midwest Regional title.

The Knights did it with incredible balance, outside of season-long team leader Aubrie Fisher. The former AGWSR of Ackley prep and junior was runner-up behind defending national champion Kassie Parker of Loras College after running 21:51.6 over the 6K course. Fisher was runner-up at the American Rivers Conference meet. Then, it was sophomore Lexi Brown, a former New London prep who was third and all-region in 22:01.8. Brown was sixth for the Knights at the ARC meet. Ellie Meyer, fifth at the ARC meet, placed sixth at regionals in 22:08.1. The sophomore is a former Iowa Falls-Alden prep. Sophomore Shaelyn Hostager, a former Dubuque Hempstead runner, was 12th at regionals in 22:15.2 after taking fourth at the ARC meet. The final scorer Saturday was Riley Mayer, a senior and former Fort Dodge St. Edmond prep. Mayer was 13th in 22:15.9 two weeks after finishing in third at the ARC meet. Haley Meyer, a freshman and former Kee of Lansing athlete, also was all-region in 30th place in 23:12.1.

Parker, the fifth-year senior in her final college cross country regional, rolled to the victory in 21:41.0 to set a new course record at the Northwestern Medicine Cross Country Course. She will be joined by a full Loras team after the Duhawks, fourth in the team race with 114 points behind No. 6 Washington University, earned an at-large berth on Sunday. The Duhawk women will be making their first appearance at nationals in 25 years.

Duhawks senior Brianna Renner earned all-region honors with a 21st-place finish in 22:46.5. Then it was the Osterberger twins, Kaylee and Ellie, in all-regional position in 28th and 29th place in 23:06.9 and 23:09.6. Both are seniors and former Dubuque Wahlert runners. The final Loras scorer was senior Marianne Gleason in 39th overall in 23:28.2 final time.

Also earning a trip to nationals is Central College junior Caroline McMartin. The former Pella High athlete wrapped up an at-large spot after finishing 11th overall in 22:14.3 while improving eight spots from a season ago. McMartin’s finish is Central’s highest at regionals since 2007, when Angie Berry, now Angie Chaney, was sixth. Senior Hailey Hill also captured gained all-region honors by placing 35th in 23:22.1. Sophomore teammate Addison Parrott, a former Danville prep, was 40th in 23:29.9 to help the Dutch finish fifth in the team race with 185 points.

Simpson College’s Lara Kallem also produced a notable finish. Kallem was 36th in 23:24.4 to complete the best individual finish by a Storm runner at regionals since 2010, when Katie Ellingson finished in second place. Kallem is a former Dallas Center-Grimes prep. Simpson also took seventh, its best finish at a regional meet since 1991.

“Our women have ran terrific all season and today was no different,” Simpson coach Heath Moenck said in a school press release. “To replace four of our top seven runners from last year and improve in the region was a true testament to their hard work and commitment.”

Grinnell College freshman Keely Miyamoto also placed 41st in 23:31.4.

The fifth-ranked Wartburg men will have a strong contender for individual and team championships. Christopher Collet, who is a junior competition-wise, captured the regional 8K victory in 25:04.9 to lead a school-record seven Knights to all-region honors. The reigning NCAA steeplechase champion held off North Central’s Braden Nicholson (25:06.3) and Simpson junior Spencer Moon (25:09.1) for the victory to become the third Knight to capture a regional title. No. 2 North Central, however, topped the Knights in the team race, 41-55, in a possible preview for the team championship Saturday.

Wartburg, like its women’s team, has had its top seven runners in flux all season, with several players taking their turns in the top five. On Saturday, it was former Johnston High prep and sophomore Sam Schmitz who was the No. 2 runner in 25:19.7. Senior Morgan Shirley-Fairbairn was the No. 7 runner for the Knights at the ARC meet two weeks ago, but this time was No. 3 and 12th overall in 25:25.4. Then it was sophomore Jacob Green, a former Cedar Rapids JFK athlete, who was 14th in 25:26.4. Connor Lancial, third at the ARC meet, was 19th at regionals in 25:32.8. Lancial is a sophomore and former Council Bluffs Lewis Central athlete. Jack Kinzer (25th, 25:37.1) and freshman Lance Sobaski (29th, 25:40.2) also were all-region honorees. Kinzer is a former North Liberty athlete who was fifth at the ARC meet. Sobaski is a former Washington High prep.

The No. 22 Loras men will be returning to nationals for a second consecutive year after learning they had taken an at-large berth after finishing third in the team race with 112 points.

Senior Luke Guttormson, runner-up at the ARC meet, placed fifth individually in 25:17.2 to secure his spot at nationals regardless of team finish. Senior Wyatt Kelly, a native of Hudson, placed 15th to earn all-region honors in 25:26.8. Junior Ryan Harvey was 23rd in 25:25.3, with sophomore Julian Watson 32nd in 25:44.7. Both were all-region selections. Junior and No. 5 runner Carlo Dannenfelser missed the honor by two spots after placing 37th in 26:03.0. Dannenfelser is a former former Cedar Rapids Prairie prep.

Simpson’s Moon rebounded well from a tough finish at the ARC meet to easily qualify for nationals. Moon, a former South Central Calhoun prep, improved on an 11th-place finish at regionals a year ago to become a three-time all-regional winner. He is the first Simpson runner to do so since Danny Bauer from 1982-84. Simpson placed eighth with 251 points.

“It was a terrific bounceback race for Spencer,” Moenck said. “It was rewarding to see all his hard work paying off with an outstanding finish.”

Sixth-place Luther College will be sending a pair of athletes to nationals. Senior Ian Kelly made the field by virtue of his 17th-place finish in 25:28.5. Fifth-year senior Tom Altier’s spot was a bit more tenuous, but the former Johnston High product from Granger was chosen after placing 28th in 25:39.4. Junior Adam Koller also finished 40th to help the Norse cause. He ran 26:04.4. Luther scored 196 points.

Central was one spot ahead of Simpson with 205 points and the Dutch will send two athletes to nationals. Junior Noah Jorgenson, from Sidney, took eighth in the regional in 25:19.2. Jorgenson improved 20 spots from a year ago. Senior teammate Caleb Silver, a former BCLUW of Conrad prep, also punched a return ticket to nationals by running to a 13th-place finish in 25:26.0.

Cornell College senior Aaron Davidson secured all-region status for a second consecutive season by placing 30th in 25:43.1. Davidson, a reigning two-time Midwest Conference cross country champion, moved up 25 spots at regionals from a year ago. Cornell was 11th in the team race.

At the North Regional in Northfield, Minn., former Pleasant Valley prep Parker Huhn was the No. 4 runner in 26th place for the Wisconsin-La Crosse men. Huhn ran the 8K distance in 25:24.38. The Eagles clinched a spot at nationals with a runner-up finish with 83 points, 10 behind UW-Whitewater, at the St. Olaf College (Minn.) Cross Country Trails Saturday.

MISSING A TOP DISTANCE RUNNER OR TRIATHLETE?: Let me know at bergeson@registermedia.com.

Want to hear more about distance running in Iowa and NCAA regional meets and the NJCAA nationals from last weekend? Listen to my podcast here: https://anchor.fm/lance-bergeson8

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Mile posts: Items on Aspel Kiprob, Mercy Biwott, Gable Sieperda, Isaac Basten, Dana Feyen, Kassie Parker, Aubrie Fisher, Christopher Collet