EUGENE, Ore. — The Iowa State women’s track and field team achieved its highest finish in program history at the NCAA Championships, securing sixth place with 30 points. This milestone represents the program’s first outdoor top-10 finish since 2010 and their second-highest point total at any national championship.
Additionally, for the first time since 1991, both the Iowa State men and women have successfully scored points at every indoor and outdoor NCAA Championship for three consecutive seasons.
The performance was led by standout distance runners Mercyline Kirwa and Betty Kipkore. Kirwa was crowned the national champion in the 10,000m after using a powerful 61-second final lap to secure a time of 31:54.88.
She followed this by finishing as the national runner-up in the 5,000m with a personal record of 15:13.72, totaling 18 team points for the championship. Kipkore also delivered a dominant performance, finishing fourth in both the 10,000m and 5,000m. With these results, Kipkore became a four-time First Team All-American, a feat achieved by only eight other women in the school’s history.
In the sprints and middle-distance events, Rachel Joseph and Makayla Clark set new benchmarks for the program. Joseph became one of only two women to ever qualify for four consecutive NCAA 400m finals, ultimately finishing seventh in her final collegiate race with a time of 50.82. This finish earned her a seventh career All-America honor.
Clark broke a 36-year-old school record in the 800m with a time of 2:00.29. By the end of the meet, Clark held eight school records, the most of any athlete in Iowa State history, and concluded her career as a six-time All-American.
The championships also saw contributions from the field and relay events. Sydney Willits finished 20th in the long jump, concluding her career as a four-time All-American.
The 4x400m relay team, composed of Brooklyn Sandvig, Rachel Joseph, Emma Vorpagel and Makayla Clark, took 13th place to earn Second Team All-America honors. This performance marked the second career All-America honor for both Sandvig and Vorpagel.
Top 10 (team scores)
1. Georgia – 50; 2. Florida – 43; 3. Arkansas – 38; 4. Oregon – 36; 5. USC – 32; 6. Iowa State – 30; 7. Washington – 28; 8. Illinois – 27; 8. Nebraska – 27; 10. LSU – 24
