TUCSON — Iowa State began its postseason competition with the Big 12 Championships in Tucson, Arizona, from Thursday to Saturday.
The women’s team finished fourth, their best outdoor finish in the conference since 2023. Senior Rachel Joseph most notably highlighted the team in the women’s 400-meter race.
The men’s team finished in fifth place, marking their fourth consecutive year with a top-five outdoor finish in the Big 12.
Next up on the postseason schedule is the NCAA West Prelims in Fayetteville, Arkansas, from May 27-30.
Rachel Joseph defends 400m title
Joseph returned to the championships looking to defend her 400-meter race title, continue improving her times and break the Iowa State record books.
Joseph would dominate the race with a personal-best time of 50.08 seconds, setting a new school and facility record.
Joseph’s all-time performance was her fourth consecutive 400-meter title at the conference championships, across indoor and outdoor competition. Joseph is the first athlete to accomplish this since 2013.
Joseph currently owns the top 29 times in Cyclone history for the event, and has broken or reset the outdoor school record nine times during her four-year career.
Men’s distance events
Over the course of the championships, the Cyclones added points in their distance events, especially on the final day.
Senior Emanuel Galdino earned a silver finish in the men’s 1,500-meter race, although he was leading for most of the race before coming in second with a time of 3 minutes, 59.21 seconds. The silver medal was Galdino’s ninth career Big 12 medal.
Freshman Jailan Sohna led Iowa State in the men’s 800-meter race with a fourth-place finish.
Galdino and senior Sam Austin also earned podium finishes with seventh and eighth place, combining for eight points in total for the Cyclones across the trio.
Sophomore Robin Kwemoi Bera added another silver medal finish for the Cyclones in the men’s 5,000-meter race with a time of 13 minutes, 51.61 seconds.
Field events
Freshman Tyson Seeser opened up the final day of competition with a third-place finish in the men’s high jump with a clearance of 7 feet, 1 inch, matching his personal best and seventh-best outdoor clearance in Iowa State history.
The Cyclones scored important team points in men’s discus with senior Daniel Norris placing fifth with a throw of 188 feet, and redshirt sophomore Brandon Fischer notching a sixth-place finish with a throw of 187 feet, 3 inches.
In the women’s field events, senior Betty Rosvold finished in sixth place in women’s discus with a season-best throw of 170 feet, 5 inches.
