Ford Washburn produced a mile time that puts him in strong contention for a berth at NCAA indoor nationals.
The Iowa City High standout clocked a strong 4:03.60 time to claim second in the mile at the Lumberjack Team Challenge at the Northern Arizona-Skydome in Flagstaff, AZ. The time, when adjusted for altitude, converts to a 3:54.75 time for the Northern Arizona junior. That time places him third nationally. His teammate, senior Tor Hotung-Davidsen, ran 4:02.31 and has the No. 2 time nationally at 3:53.51. Former Cornell College runner Aaron Davidson, now with the Fitness Sports Distance Project, ran 4:35.30 for 15th.
Washburn leads off this edition of the WEEKEND UPDATE of the best performances by Iowa-based collegiate and post collegiate distance runners and triathletes.
Shifting to the Arkansas Invitational on Jan. 16, where Arkansas redshirt senior TJ Tomlyanovich finished second in the 600 meters. Competing unattached because he doesn’t have indoor eligibility, the Cedar Falls product clocked 1:16.59 to trail Arkansas sophomore Devyn Wright by only .14 of a second. Finishing ninth for Iowa was junior Derek Leicht, a former Dubuque Hempstead prep, in a new personal best of 1:19.64.
Arkansas redshirt junior Ainsley Erzen started her new indoor campaign in great fashion with a fourth-place effort in the 600 meters in 1:28.83. That time is a new personal record for Erzen, who ran for Carlisle. Erzen was two spots ahead of Hawkeye senior Gabby Cortez, who was timed in 1:29.17. Cortez is a Cedar Rapids Prairie grad. Arkansas junior Sanu Jallow-Lockhart set a new collegiate 600-meter record by nearly a full second after clocking 1:24.19.
Former Johnston athlete Carson Lane had a busy day at the Randal Tyson Track Center. The Iowa junior placed fifth in the men’s mile in a new personal record of 4:07.68 and also was sixth in the 800 in 1:53.33, which was another individual best. Freshman teammate Owen Wolfe, who prepped at Dowling Catholic, was ninth in that mile race in 4:11.77. Arkansas senior Brian Masai took the win on the 200-meter banked track in 4:00.23.
Iowa junior Brayden Burnett paced three Hawkeyes from Iowa in the top nine in the 3,000. The Cedar Falls product ran 8:11.26. Redshirt junior Hayden Kuhn, who attended Linn-Mar (Marion), was next to finish in 8:11.61. Junior Will Ryan, another former Dowling Catholic athlete, was ninth in 8:17.46. The winner, Stephen F. Austin’s Nathan Kapel, ran 8:08.15.
In a fast women’s mile, Hawkeye sophomore Clare Kelly, a former Van Meter prep, came away 11th in 5:00.29. Iowa true freshman Grace Boleyn took 15th in 5:07.34. Razorbacks senior Sydney (Thorvaldson) Vaught set a new meet record in 4:33.35.
Boleyn, a Pleasant Valley grad, secured seventh place in the 800. Boleyn ran 2:15.84 in a race won in 2:09.23.
Wartburg College senior Haley Meyer put her name atop the women’s record book with a Wartburg Fieldhouse facility and school record in the 1,000 meters at the Knights’ Chelsey M. Henkenius Indoor on Jan. 17. The Kee (Lansing) grad clocked 2:55.24 to take down the 2014 record of 2:56.32 by Haddie Vawter. Meyer topped teammate Nadia Bowden by 5.27 seconds.
Wartburg launched a full offensive in the 3,000 meters. Washington High grad and senior Lance Sobaski led the way with the victory in 8:14.07. That time ranks second in program history. Junior teammate Isaiah Hammerand, the reigning American Rivers Conference cross country champion, took runner-up in 8:17.91. Hammerand, now No. 3 on the Knights’ all-time list after being eclipsed by Sobaski, is a Western Dubuque product. Knights senior Tyler Schermerhorn, a former Ankeny Centennial prep, ran 8:20.44 for third. He is now seventh on the Wartburg all-time list. Eli Larson, another senior, was fourth in 8:23.99. He is tied for ninth in program history. He prepped at Center Point-Urbana. Junior Nathan Kinzer continued the run of Knights to finish with fifth in 8:28.21. Kinzer ran for Iowa City Liberty High. Redshirt freshman Ahmed Aldamak, a former Cedar Falls athlete, was sixth in 8:28.39.
Wartburg freshman Nathan Ahern took victory in the 600. The Crestwood (Cresco) athlete ran 1:23.07 to top sophomore teammate and Mediapolis product Logan Rosas by .1 of a second. Mount Mercy freshman Seth Countryman, who prepped at Anamosa, was third in 1:23.69.
Knights freshman Gage Heyne took victory in the 1,000. The former North English (English Valleys) athlete ran 2:31.41 to top junior teammate Rylan Martin (2:34.16). Martin competed for New London. Mount Mercy senior Brady Cortez, a Cedar Rapids Prairie grad, was third in 2:34.87.
Mount Mercy freshman Noah Gregoire was the winner in the 5,000. The former Liberty High runner clocked 15:03.66. Wartburg freshman Ethan Boston, a former Linn-Mar prep, was second in 15:16.73.
Muscatine grad Aidan Armstrong delivered a strong 5,000 at the NCC Heenan Invitational in Naperville, IL, on Jan. 17. The North Central (IL) senior finished in 14:57.91 for fourth place. His teammate, junior BJ Sorg, ran 14:46.27 on the 200-meter flat track for the win.
At that same meet, North Central freshman Dylan Moeller, who prepped at Davenport Central, won the 3,000 in 10:43.39. Moeller also covered the mile in 5:16.42 for 13th place.
Illinois State graduate student Mattison Plummer, who has one final season of indoor eligibility, picked up a win at the Coughlan-Malloy Cup on Jan. 17 at Terre Haute, IN. The former Southeast Polk athlete ran a new facility record of 9:42.57 in the 3,000 to win by 5.52 seconds over Indiana State’s Brittney Burak.
University of Nebraska redshirt sophomore Gabe Nash grabbed two wins at the Graduate Classic at the Devaney Center in Lincoln. The former Sioux City North standout ran the 800 meters in 1:51.00 to win by 1.30 seconds. Nash also won the mile by 1.29 seconds with a time of 4:08.85.
Indian Hills Community College freshman Kohlby Newsom secured a qualifying time for NJCAA nationals in the 600. The former Winfield-Mount Union athlete ran 1:20.46 in a race won in 1:17.45 by sophomore teammate Rainier Galvez. Newsom also placed 14th in the 1,000 in 2:32.69. Creighton freshman Owen Marett, who prepped at Des Moines Roosevelt, was 20th in 2:33.85.
Indian Hills freshman Abby George also secured a time for NJCAA nationals and the third best in the association with a sixth-place finish on the 200-meter banked track. The Albia grad ran 1:35.64 in a race won by Minnesota’s Ellie Kuechle in 1:32.48.
Another Warrior who will be running at nationals after meeting the standard was former Prairie City-Monroe prep Tiffani Koonce. Koonce ran 10:26.95.
Husband and wife Riley Witt and Kiki Witt of Northwest Missouri State earned provisional standards for NCAA Division II nationals at the Coach Alsup Invitational in Maryville, MO, on Jan. 17. Riley, a senior who prepped at Saint Ansgar, picked up the eighth-fastest time in Bearcats history with a 4:06.14 effort in the mile. Senior teammate Maxime Touron, competing unattached, won in 3:59.40. Witt came back in the 800 to take second in 1:52.14, narrowly missing the Division II provisional standard. He was just .19 of a second behind senior teammate Bret Beard.
Kiki Witt, a Bearcats senior who graduated from Charles City before starting her career at Iowa State, was a victor in the women’s mile on the 300-meter flat track. Witt ran 4:54.32 to win by 1.61 seconds. Witt produced the third-fastest time in Northwest history.
At the Thane Baker Invitational hosted by Kansas State on Jan. 16, Northern Iowa freshman Lindsey Sonderman produced the fifth-fastest time in program history. The Harlan Community grad ran 9:42.30 in the 3,000 invite. Redshirt senior teammate Millie Hill, a former Ankeny Centennial athlete, was fifth in 9:43.55. Hill already stands at No. 4 on the Panthers’ program list with a 9:36.06 time from 2025. The race was won by Oregon sophomore Katie Clute in 9:27.29.
Two Northern Iowa men ran solid times in the 800 invite on the 200-meter banked track. Sophomore Derek Woods, who competed for Cedar Falls, missed getting the win by .02 of a second after running 1:51.33. Sophomore teammate Jake Bosch, who prepped at Ankeny High, was third in 1:53.81.
Oklahoma State freshman Kadence Huck produced a solid 1,000 while finishing seventh. The Nashua-Plainfield product covered the five laps in 2:48.48.
Former North Linn prep Meghan Wheatley was a winner in the 3,000. The Northern Iowa freshman was clocked in 10:00.90.
Panther freshman Sarah Feddersen picked up third in the 800. The former Gilbert athlete ran 2:13.28. Sophomore teammate Anna Van Kooten, who prepped at Southeast Polk, was fourth in 2:13.82. The winner ran 2:09.77.
Wichita State junior Amanda Treptow, who competed for Jesup, took 10th in the mile. Treptow ran 5:09.95 in a race won in 4:55.12.
Panther sophomore Colin Lillie was sixth in the 3,000. The former Council Bluffs St. Albert prep ran 8:25.32. The winner ran 8:11.20.
Will return to indoor track momentarily, but switching briefly to the roads, where seven-time Loras College NCAA champion Kassie Parker stayed in Florida after winning the USATF Club Cross Country championship in Tallahassee on Sunday, Jan. 11.
The Crown Running athlete captured the title of the Barron Collier Companies Naples Half Marathon on Jan. 18. The former Clayton Ridge (Guttenberg) prep covered the 13.1 miles in 1:14:27 to cruise past Brooke Wildermuth by 48 seconds. The time was well off Parker’s half marathon best of 1:10:22 set at Indianapolis in November.
Back to indoor track. At the Bill Bergan Classic hosted by Iowa State on Jan. 16, Titus Winders returned to the track he called home and won the 3,000. The Minnesota Distance Elite athlete took the 3,000 title in 8:04.65 by over six seconds over MDE teammate Tanner Maier.
In the 800, Northern Iowa redshirt senior Chase Knoche, competing unattached, grabbed the win in 1:51.47. Knoche is a Calamus-Wheatland grad. Freshman teammate Keegan Steege, a Cedar Falls product also competing unattached, ran a fine 1:51.65 for second.
Mike Jasa, a past NCAA 800 champion for Loras College who competed for Cedar Rapids Prairie, took victory in the mile. The Fitness Sports Distance Project athlete ran 4:09.93 to top Drake University sophomore Daniel Rotich by 1.56 seconds. Iowa State redshirt freshman Tommy Tyynismaa, who prepped at South Tama County, ran 4:11.84 for third. Northern Iowa student Micah Rees, competing unattached, clocked 4:17.25 for seventh. Rees is a Washington High grad. Northern Iowa’s Carson Owens, who attended Southeast Polk, was next to finish in 4:19.70.
Iowa State senior Ashlyn Keeney grabbed victory in the 1,000. The Liberty High product clocked 2:48.39 to top teammate Josie Baker by nearly two seconds.
MDE new team member Emilie Meyer, who was a standout performer for Drake, took sixth in the mile. Meyer ran 4:51.52. Northern Iowa junior Liza Schaffer, a former North Polk athlete, was eighth in 5:12.23. MDE’s Cailee Peterson won in 4:35.45.
Two Panthers placed in the top three of the 800 in race won by the Cyclones’ Baker in 2:12.74. Freshman Josee Simonson, a former Cedar Falls prep, ran 2:14.74 for second. Sophomore Clare Wright, a Jesup grad, ran 2:15.55 for third.
Northern Iowa freshman Evie Henneberry clocked 10:17.05 in the 3,000 while taking sixth. Henneberry ran for Dubuque Hempstead. Iowa Central freshman Hafsa Oukadou won in 9:45.78.
Leah Klapatauskas started her Loyola (IL) career with a fourth-place finish in the mile at the Hoosier Horsepower Classic at the Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion in Indianapolis. The former Dubuque Senior prep who started her career at Northern Iowa before transferring this winter ran 5:01.07. The winner was timed in 4:53.56. Klapatauskas also ran the leadoff 1,200 on the Ramblers’ distance medley relay that was second in 12:19.15.
St. Ambrose junior Dylan Grandon secured the ‘A’ standard for NAIA nationals with a home victory in the 600 on Jan. 17. The Johnston grad ran 1:20.40 at the Bumble Rumble on the 200-meter flat track at the St. Ambrose-Wellness and Rec Center in Davenport to win by 1.03 seconds.
Loras College redshirt freshman redshirt Keelee Leitzen cruised to victory in the 600. The Dubuque Hempstead product who started her career at Iowa State clocked 1:35.69 to win by more than eight seconds.
Former Dallas Center-Grimes and Drake runner Aidan Ramsey ended up 13th place in the mile at the Potts Invitational hosted by the University of Colorado. Ramsey ran 4:15.64 in the race held at 5,337 feet of altitude at the flat 300-meter Indoor Practice Facility in Boulder. The winner ran 4:04.06.
A former Wartburg runner, Shaelyn Hostager, continued her strong 2025-26 season at Minnesota-Duluth. The former Dubuque Hempstead prep, now a graduate student with the Bulldogs, won the 3,000 meters at the Twin Ports Open in Superior, WI, on Jan. 17. Hostager ran the 200-meter flat track in 10:12.57 to win by nearly 25 full seconds.
Former Valley High runner Cohen Kooker grabbed ninth place in the 3,000 at the Jimmy Carnes D1 University Invite in Gainesville, FL, on Jan. 16. The North Florida sophomore ran 15 laps of the 200-meter banked track at the Alachua County Events Center at Celebration Pointe in 10:16.29.
At the Mount Marty Invite, Northwestern College sophomore Carson Van Sickle claimed victory in the 800. The Ogden product ran 1:54.25 to cruise to the win by 5.21 seconds.
Dordt University junior Kaden Van Wyngarden, who attended Pella Christian, was a winner in the 1,000. Van Wyngarden ran 2:33.31 to win by 2.37 seconds.
Levi Hill, who prepped at Ankeny High, took fifth at the USD Alumni Meet at the 200-meter flat track at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, SD, on Jan. 17. The South Dakota sophomore covered the mile in 4:21.5. The winner ran 4:18.69.
Former Atlantic and Dordt University runner Craig Becker recorded an eighth-place finish at the Samford Invitational at the Birmingham Metro CrossPlex in Alabama on Jan. 16. The Arkansas State junior ran 4:22.55 in the mile on the 200-meter banked track. The winner was timed in 4:10.10.
Pleasant Valley grad Ani Wedemeyer ran the 800 leg for a Johns Hopkins squad that placed fifth at the Cardinal Track & Field Classic at the Prince George’s Sports Complex in Landover, MD, on Jan. 17. The Hopkins squad ran 12:14.75, which was 12.58 seconds behind winning George Washington.
A former Iowa City High prep ran twice at the Podium in Spokane, WA, during the Spokane Indoor Challenge. Montana junior Truman Thompson claimed second in the 800 meters in 1:53.91, just .18 of a second behind Hayden Roberts of Gonzaga. Thompson also ran the leadoff 1,200 on a distance medley relay that was second to Gonzaga in 10:04.96 on the 200-meter banked track.
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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Mile posts: Items on Ford Washburn, TJ Tomlyanovich, Haley Meyer, Lance Sobaski, Mattison Plummer, Gabe Nash, Lindsey Sonderman
Reporting by Lance Bergeson, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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