The Run Around Iowa

The highlight performance of the week came from senior Kassie Parker and the Loras College women. The Duhawks captured their first indoor national title by outscoring Wisconsin-La Crosse, 59-45. Parker, from Guttenberg, helped seal the title by winning the 3,000 title, a day after capturing the 5,000 crown. Teammate Allysa Pfadenhauer helped the cause by winning the 400 title and anchoring the 4x400 to a national title. Wartburg College finished sixth in the team race, aided heavily by a victory in the distance medley relay. The Loras men finished fourth nationally and on the podium for the first time indoors since 1989 with the help of a third-place DMR and a fourth from Ryan Harvey in the mile. In Division I, Iowa star freshman Jenoah Mciver finished runner-up nationally in the 400 final and paced three Hawkeyes to first-team All-American honors in the event. Drake junior Isaac Basten finished fifth in the mile final in Birmingham to become a two-time All-American. A sixth-place DMR effort paced Iowa State's efforts at nationals.

Betsy talks about the joy she has with new 2 1/2-month-old son Kalya and deciding to have a child during a rough 2020 when she wasn't racing because of the coronavirus pandemic. Betsy describes the journey toward becoming an America citizen and her relationship with Kalya's father, who was the family's doctor in Kenya. Betsy, who is 33 years old, goes into detail about dropping out before the Chicago Marathon and then a week later running a personal-best time at Toronto. She answers the question of if she will ever race again on the track and talks about the special relationship she has with her alma mater. She also talks about the difficulty of making the American team for the 2024 Olympics in the marathon.

The podcast starts with the Iowa Western women's dominant victory at NJCAA national in Pittsburg, Kan., on Friday and Saturday. Freshman Hilda Chebet paced the Reivers with three national titles and a runner-up in the 1,000. The Iowa Western men were third in the nation and paced by Nicholas Kiprotich's runner-up finish in the 5,000. Iowa Central placed fifth and sixth in the team races and had two runner-up finishes in Relays. Indian Hills had a national champion in sophomore Aliyah Simmons. The Dordt University men tied for 10th nationally at NAIA nationals and was paced by a runner-up 4x800 squad. The Dordt women's 4x800 did come through with a national title in that event. Thr road running report is led by former Cyclone Hillary Bor's third place at the Gate River Run 15K in Jacksonville, Florida. The NCAA Division I preview breaks down the chances of a repeat title by the Cyclones' Wesley Kiptoo in the 5,000 as well as another event, the 3,000, and two Drake runners, Isaac Basten and Adam Fogg, in the mile. The Division III preview details the No. 2 Loras College women's chances in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where star distance runner and former Clayton Ridge standout Kassie Parker will be seeking more national titles. The No. 2 Wartburg College men will be seeking a national title behind a former Carlisle star, while the No. 3 Loras men will be guided by reigning 800 outdoor champion and former Cedar Rapids Prairie prep Mike Jasa.

The preview of action from Pittsburg State focuses on the battle between the No. 1-ranked and defending champion Iowa Western and New Mexico JC. Lance believes the 1-2 punch of Hilda Chebet and Mercy Biwott and depth all across the board could be too much for New Mexico to overcome. On the men's side, No. 2 Iowa Western, No. 4 Indian Hills and No. 5 Iowa Central all have hopes for the team title. No. 1 South Plains, the defending champion, is the favorite with the Texans' strength in the middle distance events. The Reivers have quality in several spots while Indian Hills' best events will be middle distance races and some sprints. The Tritons' hopes for another title lie primarily with field events and heptathlon.

Lance breaks down the chances for the Grand View men, ranked No. 3 nationally, and No. 6 Dordt. He says both teams will have to excel on relays and middle distance events to have a chance to knock off No. 1 Indiana Tech and No. 2 Oklahoma City. He also looks at the Dordt women, who enter nationals ranked eighth nationally. Like the men, the Defenders will be powered by their middle distance runners in Brookings, S.D. Lance also talks about a Mount Mercy runner to watch in the 1,000 and mile.

Lance details the Iowa men's repeat Big Ten indoor championship in Ohio, which included Jeboah McIver's 600 title. He also talks about another Big Ten indoor title for Minnesota and Abby Kohut-Jackson. The Big 12 meet 8n Ames is highlighted by the high points award by Iowa State senior Cailie Logue. Abby Caldwell comeson the show to chat about where the Cyclone program goes forward from here. The Missouri Valley meet that ended Monday in Chicago is highlighted by a first league title by UNI's Sophia Jungling in the 800 and Adam Fogg's win in the men's mile for Drake. Loras College swept the American Rivers indoor titles for the first time and Kassie Parker of Guttenberg led the Duhawks women to their first crown with titles in the mile, 3,000 and 5,000. The Loras men's title was spearheaded by two titles by Mike Jasa and Ryan Harvey. Wartburg was led by Joe Freiburger's titles in the 5K and 3K. Former Dowling Catholic star Matthew Carmody made history by setting a new ACC record in the 5K. The Hostetler sisters helped Liberty repeat as Atlantic Sun champions. In Division II, former Cedar Falls prep Caroline Cunningham was the high point scorer for Northwest Missouri State at the MIAA indoors and two former Iowa Central runners help West Texas A&M cruise to Lone Star Conference titles.

Mallory talks about breaking one of Iowa's oldest records - Bethany Praska's 800 indoor record from 2011 - at Arkansas two weeks ago. She also chats about growing up in an athletic family with sisters who ran track and field and her father, Wade, the Assumption football coach. She discusses running on one of the great track and field high school dynasties. She never lost a state track meet in four years with the Knights. Mallory talks about the difficulty of going up against her sister, Carly, during one of those 400-meter state finals. She also talks about her degree in biomedical engineering and her future plans, including her fall wedding to Connor. Mallory tells about her big fish story and chasing a Big Ten title in her final time in an Iowa uniform this weekend in Geneva, Ohio.

Lance selects his 12 best performances in distance running from last weekend. You can be sure Iowa State's Wesley Kiptoo makes the list after breaking his school record in the 3,000 meters at Arkansas by nearly 5 seconds. And also Drake's Isaac Basten after retaking the school record with a win anf meet record in the mile at Arkansas. But who else? A hint: Iowa Western, Grand View and Dordt College figure heavily in the Lance's countdown.

Reece comes on to talk about his fast rise to stardom his freshman season of high school, when he finished fifth at state cross country and helped G-H-V to a state title with his brother, Chase. The Northwest Missouri State sophomore describes the disappointment of finishing runner-up at Iowa state meets five times before breaking through as a senior. Reece details his reasons for leaving the University of Iowa after one season and landing in Maryville. He discusses overcoming some bitterness to win a Drake Relays title in the 3,000 steeplechase last spring and what improvement he needs to make in that race. Reece describes how he met his girlfriend and taking on a difficult major. He also talks about what he believes will be required to qualify for NCAA Division II indoor nationals for the Bearcats.

Lance changes things up for this edition by focusing on the 14 efforts he loved most over the Valentine's Day weekend. Many of the top performances came at the Iowa State Classic, but Lance taps heavily into the NCAA Division III and NAIA ranks for some entries as well. Did Grand View's 4x8 relay in Michigan make the cut? How about Mallory King, after taking down an 11-year record for Iowa at a meet in Arkansas. Listen for all of the highlights, as well as insight from former All-Big 12 performer Abby Caldwell on the Iowa State teams.