Cross Country Season Preview in Iowa State Daily

A complete article and season preview with quotes from coach Corey Ihmels and team member Jon Reis was released in the Iowa State Daily yesterday. Along with a great picture of Richard Newton, the article features team information and team goals for the upcoming year. In order to access the article, you can visit this website.

Newcomer Jared Lewis Breaks Iowa State Record

Each year at Iowa State, athletes from all sports are tested for vertical explosion in a vertical jump test. For a male athlete, anything over 28 inches is good, over 30 inches is outstanding, and over 35 is exceptional. This year, Junior Sprinter Jared Lewis broke the all-time Iowa State record for vertical jump with a outstanding leap of 41.5 inches. Jared is new to Iowa State and brings his explosive power here as a transfer from Northern Colorado where he played basketball and ran track. During his time at Northern Colorado, the team could not compete at the NCAA Division I Championships because the school has just applied for membership and is currently serving a waiting period. Instead,, he competed in the NCAA Division I Independent Championships where he won the 100 meters in 10.58 seconds and was 2nd in the 200 meters in 21.31 seconds. Jared was also a member of the winning 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 relay teams. His power seems to be somewhat natural since he was able to jump 6 feet 9 inches in the high jump in high school without ever practicing the event. Congratulations Jared.

Happy New Year to Iowa State Students

Runners who have become accustomed to just having to worry about running, eating, and sleeping have a little more to worry about starting today. That is because it is the beginning of a new semester and a new year at Iowa State. Starting today, August 21st, the teams now have to worry about exams and papers along with the normal practice schedule.

Cyclone Fans Meet Athletes at Cyclone Fan Fest

On Sunday, Cyclone runners participated in the first ever Cyclone Fan Fest. The Fan Fest gave an opportunity for Cyclone fans to come and meet athletes in every sport at the Bergstrom Indoor Practice Facility. Each sport had a game or a table set up for the community members to participate in. The cross country and track teams provided an opportunity for children to participate in many track events and drills. Among the events were children got to participate in the long jump, vertical jump, ladder drills, and short races. The event was a great success as there were nearly 4,000 people from the community who came to share in the fellowship.

Cross Country Team Returns From Decorah

After spending the week running and getting to know eachother better, the team is making its trip back to Ames from Decorah today. The week was spent in the wilderness with many trails in the river valley that surrounds Decorah. The team stayed in cabins in the Pinebluff 4-H Camp and along with a week of workouts and much talk about training, were able to participate in many other activities. Some of the highlights included volleyball, canoeing, a card tournament, dinner hosted by Janet and Bob Leifeld, and a bocce ball tournament. Thursday will be spent packing and moving teammates into dorms followed by a barbecue at the home of Coach Ihmels.

Summer Wedding Season for Many Former Cyclones

Athletes from current and former Iowa State teams got together to celebrate many weddings this summer. The two members of the class of 2005 who were married this summer were Clete Younger who was married on July 15, as well as Tony Stewart who married on August 12. The picture to the left is actually from the wedding of Erica Lynn and Tony Douglas, which was held on July 24. As you can see, many teammates and members of the Iowa State family were in attendance for the celebration.

Jayden Russ Arrives in Ames

It may have been a long trip for Jayden Russ, but after traveling from Australia to Los Angeles to Chicago to Osceola in anything from a plane to a train, he has finally found his home in Ames, Iowa. Originally of Brisbane, Australia, Jayden Russ is one of the newest Cyclones to step foot on campus. After spending time at the Queensland Academy of Sport in Australia and competing in the World Junior Championships in 2004, Jayden comes to the Cyclones with a personal best in the Steeplechase of 8:54. His race and training will be a great addition to the team.

Cross Country Kicks Off Practice Tomorrow

The Cyclones start the cross country season tomorrow with their first team meeting. After the meeting the team will be leaving Ames for the first annual team camp. This year the team will be staying just outside of Deorah, Iowa. The camp concludes on Thursday and will include training on some of the best trails in Northeast Iowa, a canoe trip on the Upper Iowa River, team meetings, and a number of other activities. One of the highlights will be a dinner hosted by Janet and Bob Leifeld, the parents of current Cyclone Jon Reis and alumnus Dan Reis.

Memories Recalled by Current Cyclone and Coach

The MonDak road race festivities would not have been the same without one coach, Clint Chamberlin, and the 30 years of memories that were talked about throughout the weekend. Since both Coach Ihmels and Jory Zunich were Clint's high school athletes they were able to recount a number of memories and were joined by dozens of other former Coyote runners who Clint has coached. For some of the highlights and memories of this past weekend, visit
http://www.willistonherald.com/articles/2006/08/08/sports/sports1.txt

Weekend Results from 30th Mon-Dak

Weekend results and an article highlighting the 30th Annual Mon-Dak road race can be found at http://www.willistonherald.com/articles/2006/08/06/sports/sports3.txt
Cyclone runners took four out of the top five places in the 10K, while Cyclone Coach Corey Ihmels followed closely behind to take 6th place. Attached with the results is an article which highlights the accomplishments of Coach Ihmels and team member Jory Zunich and gives several insightful thoughts on both of them.

Boldon Sets Course Record; Team Members Compete at MonDak

Volunteer Assistant Coach Blake Boldon won the John James Audubon 5 Miler over the weekend. Blake broke the existing course record by nearly a minute with a winning time of 26:07. In other weekend action, several members of the Iowa State team also ran at the 30th annual MonDak Road Race in North Dakota. Full results from North Dakota and an interview of the MonDak participants will be posted at a later date.

Team Members Head to North Dakota for Mon-Dak Road Race

Team members Richard Newton, Brandon Rooney, Kiel Uhl, and Jory Zunich, along with Corey and Michelle Ihmels have made their way to Williston, North Dakota this weekend to take part in the festivities surrounding the 30th Annual Mon-Dak road race. This will not be a random showing at a road race for a couple of the Cyclones attending though. This years Mon-Dak will celebrate the accomplishments of Clint Chamberlin, high school coach of both Iowa State Coach Corey Ihmels and current athlete Jory Zunich. Many former teammates will be attending and there will be plenty of opportunity to share old stories. While the guys will be taking part in a 5k or a 10k, they will also be offering a coaches clinic on Saturday afternoon. A full overview of the event and a few comments by Jory can be found at http://www.willistonherald.com/articles/2006/07/30/sports/sports1.txt