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NEWS: Iowa State Adds Three International Standouts, First Reported via Joshua Grenade
- Mike McKean
- Sep 25, 2024
- 3 min read
Written by Mike McKean, edits & additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin
Earlier this week, Josh Grenade reported that Kenyan steeplechase star Joash Ruto touched down in Ames as the newest member of Iowa State's distance program. TSR was able to independently verify that move along with two other additions that will be discussed in this article.
The Nakuru, Kenya native adds to a Cyclone roster that is spoiled with talent. The incoming freshman brings a jaw-dropping personal best of 8:22 (steeple) to a group looking to contend for a podium spot at this year’s NCAA XC Championships. And while that mark is not officially recorded online, TSR was able to receive a photo of written results which included Ruto's 8:22 PR.
Ruto’s marks on the oval became much more eye-opening when you realize that his personal best over the barriers was run at 6000 feet of elevation. To put things into perspective, only Nathan Mountain posted a time faster than 8:22 during the official NCAA season. James Corrigan and Yasin Sado ran 8:13 and 8:17, respectively, outside of the official NCAA season.
Elite marks on the track aside, Ruto joins the Cyclones with highly touted experience on the grass as well. Earning silver at the 2024 U20 African XC Championships gives us enough reason to believe that he can make an immediate impact this cross country season.
But just exactly how impactful will Ruto be this fall? Is he a low-stick All-American? Or just a standard support scorer? His time suggests that he's closer to the former, but an acclimation period full of lessons isn't uncommon for international newcomers.
Even so, having someone like Ruto significantly raises Iowa State's ceiling. The Cyclones have numerous men who could be All-Americans this fall, but questions regarding consistency were still valid. Thankfully, the introduction of Ruto quells some of those concerns and makes Iowa State's preseason ranking at TSR #5 feel justified.
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With all of the excitement surrounding Ruto’s arrival, it’s easy to forget that the Cyclones added another Kenyan piece to their roster earlier this year in Robin Kwemoi Bera.
Bera brings even more firepower to this loaded Cyclone squad as he boasts a personal best of 13:58 (5k). And while that may not seem like a major result at first glance, the performance becomes dramatically more impressive when you realize that Bera posted that time at 7000 feet of elevation.
Despite being unsure of how the Kenya native will perform on the grass, it’s undeniable that the talent is there. Like Ruto, he can only raise the floor of this team. Even if he's not an All-American-caliber low-stick, Bera will add depth to a lineup that has suddenly become very complete.
If Bera can translate his success on the oval to the grass and seamlessly transition to collegiate racing, then that’s another key injection of scoring potency to a team that needs it in order to contend for the podium. Despite a wildly inconsistent 2023 fall campaign, we saw the Cylones put it all together on the national stage and walk away with a stunning 5th-place team finish.
When operating at full tilt, we’ve seen just how good the Cyclones can be. Now, with the additions of Ruto and Kwemoi Bera, we have to ask ourselves what the ceiling is for this Iowa State team. With proven veterans, a plethora of promising returners and exciting new additions that add reliable depth, it’s obvious that we can no longer doubt that this team has what it takes to be on the podium in Madison come November.
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Of course, the Cyclone men aren’t the only squad in Ames that got better this offseason.
The Iowa State women recently announced the addition of Betty Jepchirchir to their team. The Cyclones get a much-needed low-stick in Jepchirchir as she brings a huge personal best of 15:48 (5k) that was run at 6000 feet elevation.
For a team that found their way into the "Just Missed" portion of our TSR preseason team rankings, Jepchirchir will be valuable in helping offset key departures from the Cyclone’s 2023 group that finished 20th at the NCAA XC Championships.
After losing three of their top-five from last year’s squad, the Cyclones will look to their newcomers to help fill the gaps. There are plenty of question marks surrounding this team and a lot will depend on the underclassmen stepping up to provide scoring potency.
Even though a lot will fall on inexperienced shoulders, there’s no doubt this team can outperform preseason expectations with talents like Jepchirchir and Maelle Porcher (83rd at 2023 NCAA XC Championships) leading the charge. The former gives this team much needed low-stick scoring potency that the Cyclones were missing last year (in favor of highly underrated depth).
