New Academic Support

The season is well under way. Please check for results at www.cyclones.com. In the meantime, take a look at what is being said about our brand new facillity for student-athlete academic support:

New facility at Iowa State focuses on student academic success
AMES, Iowa -- The Hixson-Lied Student Success Center, a new facility designed to help Iowa State students perform better in the classroom, will officially be dedicated during a ceremony Friday, Feb. 23, at 1:30 p.m.
The new center, located on Beach Road, provides services directed to any student in need of academic counseling, tutoring and testing. The 33,500-square-foot building includes tutoring rooms, computer labs, counselor offices, testing centers, classrooms, study lounges and other spaces designed to give students the best resources to do well in school.
'All of our students will benefit'
"The opening of this beautiful facility is another example of Iowa State's ongoing dedication to students and their quest for excellence," said Thomas Hill, Iowa State's vice president for student affairs. "All of our students will benefit and have greater opportunity for academic achievement."
The new center houses three units -- the Christina Hixson Opportunity Awards Program, the Rod and Connie French Athletic Academic Center, and the Academic Success Center.
The Christina Hixson Opportunity Awards have supported up to 400 undergraduates each year since 1995. These scholarships are for Iowa high school students who are academically capable of college, but who have little hope of attending without financial assistance. The Lied Foundation Trust of Las Vegas gave $5 million to support this project. Christina M. Hixson, also from Las Vegas, is the sole trustee of the Lied Foundation Trust and has given generously to support Iowa State students in the past.
Academic support for student-athletes
The Rod and Connie French Athletic Academic Center will serve student-athletes in need of customized academic and personal development programs, study groups, tutoring and other services to help student-athletes complete their degrees. Rod and Connie French of West Des Moines are longtime supporters of Iowa State and gave $1.5 million in support of this project.
"This center will help provide the very best academic support for our student-athletes," said Jamie Pollard, Iowa State's athletics director. "Our student-athletes have a significant challenge in balancing their academic and athletics responsibilities and this facility will greatly assist those efforts. In addition, this great building will serve as a new recruiting tool for our athletics program."
The Academic Success Center is a collection of services and programs designed to help students reach their academic goals. There is individualized or small group help available for general academic work and course-specific assistance. Other services provided by the Academic Success Center, such as the disability resources office, continue to be housed in the Student Services Building.
The dedication ceremony will include remarks by Hixson; Rod and Connie French, Hill and Pollard. Also speaking will be Gregory Geoffroy, ISU president; Dan Saftig, president of the Iowa State University Foundation; Jason Scales, a junior student-athlete majoring in industrial technology from West Des Moines; and Amanda Rubin, a junior Hixson Scholar from Clarinda majoring in psychology.
Private gifts fund project
The $10 million funding for this project was accomplished entirely through private gifts.
"The Hixson-Lied Student Success Center is yet another example of the loyal support that alumni and friends have for Iowa State and its students," said Saftig. "This project is much more than a building. It's a way for us to positively impact student retention and recruitment, graduation rates and the academic success of all our students."

ISU Open on Friday and Saturday

Iowa State will kick off its 2007 Track and Field schedule this weekend at home in Lied Recreation Center. With most of the sprinters, throwers, jumpers, and distance runners competing, it is a great way to get to see what new additions the Cyclones have made to their squad over the past year, as well as being able to see the team members who are back for another year in Cyclone Country. Come and enjoy the action in the two day meet. The schedule is as follows:

Friday, January 19

Field Events:
3:00 PM Weight Throw W Final ------------------- 3:00 PM Long Jump Men Final (East Pit)--------
3:30 PM Long Jump W Final (West Pit)-------
4:00 PM Pole Vault W Final-------------------
App: 5:00 PM Weight Throw Men Final ------------------

Running Events
3:15 PM 5,000 m Run W ------------------------- Non-seeded Section
3:40 PM 5,000 m Run Men ------------------------- Non-seeded Section
4:10 PM Distance Medley Relay W Final------------------- 4:30 PM Distance Medley Relay Men Final-------------------
5:05 PM 200 m Dash W Final-------------------
5:30 PM 200 m Dash Men Final-------------------
5:55 PM 4 x 300 m Relay W Final-------------------
6:05 PM 4 x 300 m Relay Men Final-------------------
6:20 PM 5,000m Run W -------------------------(Fastest Section)
6:40 PM 5,000m Run Men -------------------------(Fastest Section)

Saturday, January 20

Field Events
11:30 AM High Jump W -------------------------- Flight 1
12:00 Noon Pole Vault Men ---------------------------
Triple Jump W (East Pit)---------------- Shot Put W --------------------------
1:00 PM High Jump W -------------------------- Flight 2
2:15 PM Shot Put Men --------------------------
Triple Jump Men -------------------------- (Follows Women) 3:00 PM High Jump Men --------------------------

Running Events
10:25 AM 3,000m Run W Non-Seeded ------
10:40 AM 3,000m Run Men Non-Seeded ------
11:00 AM 60m Hurdles W (Pre)---------------
11:20 AM 60m Hurdles Men (Pre)---------------
11:45 AM 60m Dash W (Pre)---------------
12:20 PM 60m Dash Men (Pre)---------------
12:45 PM 600 yd. Run W Final---------------
1:00 PM 600 yd. Run M Final---------------
1:20 PM Masters Event (300)
1:30 PM Mile Run W Final---------------
1:50 PM Mile Run Men Final---------------
2:20 PM 60m Hurdles W Final----------------
2:30 PM 60m Hurdles Men Final----------------
2:40 PM 60m Dash W Final----------------
2:45 PM 60m Dash Men Final----------------
2:50 PM 400m Dash W Final----------------
3:10 PM 400m Dash Men Final----------------
3:40 PM 800m Run W Final----------------
4:00 PM 800m Run Men Final----------------
4:30 PM 3,000m Run W Final---------------- fast heat last
4:55 PM 3,000m Run Men Final---------------- fast heat last
5:15 PM 1,000m Run W Final----------------
5:25 PM 1,000m Run Men Final----------------
5:40 PM 4x400m Relay W Final----------------
6:00 PM 4x400m Relay Men Final----------------

Track Season Is Upon Us

As the holiday season is upon us, and the new year is right around the corner, the start of track season is here. It is a very exciting time of the year as the Cyclone distance runners prepare to step away from the 8K and 10K to put on spikes and step on the track. The rest of the Cyclone track team also gets a chance to do something more than just practice their events, actually getting in a competition. Many of them showcased what they had been working on all fall in the first meet at of the year at Iowa State on December 8th, the Holiday Preview. Results can be found here. It will be an exciting indoor season with Iowa State hosting a total of five meets in the 2007 indoor track season, including the Big 12 Championships on February 23rd and 24th. A track schedule will be up in the upcoming days with the addition of many new features on the blog.

Former Iowa State Coach Bill Bergan Inducted into USTFCCCA Hall of Fame

December 12^th was a very important date for many of the nation's top cross country and track coaches. On that day in San Antonio, Bill Bergan (Iowa State), Al Carius (North Central), John Coughlan (Illinois State), DeLoss Dodds (Kansas State), Bob Groseclose (Northeast Louisiana), Tom Heinonen (Oregon), Don Hood Sr. (Abilene Christian), Ted McLaughlin (Southern Methodist University), Bill Moultrie (Howard),Jack Pyrah (Villanova), Deb Vercauteren (Wisconsin Oshkosh) and Gary Wieneke (Illinois) were inducted into the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Hall of Fame. Iowa State's own Bill Bergan was inducted for the mark that he left on not only Iowa State, but the nation as a whole.

While Bill has stated that he may be he out of place by being selected, saying, “I look at some of those other coaches and think, boy, I don’t belong,” the record books seem to show a much different story. At the time that Bill Bergan took over the Iowa State cross country and track teams, no one could have predicted what was to come over the next twenty four years. When Bergan became the coach of the cross country team in 1971, Iowa State had finished in the bottom half of the Big Eight Conference meet for 11 consecutive years and the men’s track team had finished last or next to last in conference for 21 straight years. Things changed fast though under his tutelage. Three years after his arrival, Iowa State won its first Big Eight cross country title in 43 years. In 1981, five years after Bergan assumed the duties of head track coach, the Cyclones won their first conference track championship in 36 years. He didn’t stop there though. Throughout his time at Iowa State, he guided his track and cross country teams to 25 Big Eight conference team championships, as well as two NCAA cross county team championships in 1989 and 1994. The cross country teams also finished as a runner-up at nationals in 1990 and 1991. As Bergan’s successor Steve Lynn put it, “He never quit working. He had the philosophy that if he made anyone better, it made the whole team better.” Along with the team accomplishments, many individuals had great performances under him as well. Bergan coached John Nutall and Jonah Koech to NCAA individual titles in 1989 and 1990. An even greater accomplishment though was that Bergan coached 16 Olympians from six different nations, including intermediate hurdler Danny Harris and distance runner Yobes Ondieki. Harris won a silver medal at the 1984 Olympics following his freshman year at Iowa State, and Ondieki won a world title in the 5,000-meter run for Kenya and set a world record in the 10,000 meters.

While Bergan became one of the most well known coaches in the United States for his accomplishments, everything he did was to benefit his athletes. As he put it, “You’re always shooting for championships, always trying to do better. The most rewarding part of coaching is helping young people fulfill their dreams. That gives you a real feeling of accomplishment.” It is apparent that his approach to influencing his athletes has helped many of them accomplish their dreams and much more. This can be seen in current Iowa State cross country coach, Corey Ihmels, who ran for Bergan during his college career. Corey was very appreciative of what he got out of his experience of working with Bill saying “I know there are a lot of Bill’s former athletes out there right now smiling knowing he is being honored. He had a tremendous effect on so many young people and the honor is well deserved.”

Since retiring from coaching, Bergan has still been keeping busy affecting the lives of young people. In recent years, he has been active in the Special Olympics. He and his wife, Karen, who have four children of their own, are the legal guardians of a mentally retarded 45-year-old man. Bergan also owns Championship Productions, a company that produces instructional books and videos.

Kiel Uhl to Run at Nationals on Monday

The time of year that every cross country runner looks forward to is upon us this weekend: The NCAA National Championships. On monday, a total of 31 teams of men and a number of individuals will come together at the Lavern-Gibson Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana for the 10K race. Among the participants in the race that will start at 1:15 p.m. eastern time is Kiel Uhl, the lone male competitor who qualified as an individual for Iowa State. Lisa Kohl, the lone women to qualify for Iowa State, will also be running at 12:00 p.m. eastern time. Good luck to Kiel and Lisa this weekend. For more information, visit the National Championships Website.