Lance Bergeson, Des Moines RegisterWed, March 11, 2026 at 12:41 AM UTC·16 min readThe Iowa Western women's track and field team captured its fifth NCJAA indoor championship in six years last weekend and playing a large role was Iowan Alyssa Kulesa.
The former Clarinda prep first ran on the Reivers' distance medley relay on Friday, March 6 that claimed the national title in an NJCAA-leading time this season of 11 minutes, 52.62 seconds. Kulesa, a sophomore at Iowa Western, ran on the 800 leg that won by 1.15 seconds over New Mexico JC.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe following day, Kulesa ran the second leg on another championship unit, the 4x800, that ran a facility record of 9:14.87 to run away with a win by 4.88 seconds.
Kulesa and the Reivers lead off this edition of the WEEKEND UPDATE of the best performances by Iowa-based collegiate and post collegiate distance runners and triathletes.
A year ago at NJCAA outdoor nationals, Kulesa ran the third leg of an Iowa Western 4x800 squad that finished third nationally.
The star for Iowa Western, however, at the Washburn Indoor Athletic Facility in Topeka, Kansas, was sophomore sensation Juliana Sakat. The native of Ghana anchored the winning DMR and won the 5000 in a meet record time of 16:42.47 on the 200-meter banked track on March 6. The next day, Sakat set a new NJCAA all time, meet and facility record of 2:48.85 in taking the 1,000 title. Sakat raced to the mile title in 4:49.27 and capped the meet with her fourth individual title in the 3,000 in 9:32.34.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOver the last two seasons, Sakat has won 13 individual national championships, shattering the previous record of nine, set by former Reiver athlete Faith Linga Chepengat from 2019-21.
The Reivers claimed their third consecutive indoor title with 111 points, 22 better than New Mexico JC. Iowa Central Community College took seventh with 48 points.
Will return to the women's nationals in a bit, but switching to the men's event.
In that DMR, Iowa Central was fifth overall in 12:03.89 behind anchor Alivia Edens. Edens prepped at Tipton High School. Indian Hills, seventh in 12:14.49, featured former Waterloo West runner Alexa Zanders, a sophomore, on the 400 and freshman Abby George, an Albia product, on the 800.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn the 1,000 final on March 7, Edens finished ninth to narrowly miss scoring for the Tritons. Edens ran 3:04.26 a day after posting the sixth-best time, 2:58.14, in Heat 2 of the prelims. Sakat owned the best time, 2:48.98, among the heats.
An all-Iowa Southeastern Community College squad that included sophomore Rylee Olsen of Keokuk, sophomore Chloe Ferneau of Treynor, freshman Isabel Stout of Letts and sophomore Aubrey Kuntz of Mediapolis ended up 14th in 10:52.64.
Indian Hills' Zanders and George ran in the 800 prelims on March 6. Zanders was third in Heat 1 in 1:35.70 and 11th overall, but didn't advance. George ran 1:37.99 in Heat 2 for third place and 17th overall, but also didn't move on.
Hawkeye Community College sophomore Mallori Jones, a BCLUW (Conrad) grad, ran the 11th-best time in the 800 prelims. Jones was sixth in Heat 3 in 2:18.61. Iowa Western's Kulesa was seventh in Heat 1 of the 800 prelims in 2:23.23 for 19th overall.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn that 5,000, Indian Hills sophomore and Prairie City-Monroe product Tiffani Koonce placed 14th overall and 12th in the difficult Section 2 that Sakat won. Koonce's time was 18:50.46. In Section 1, Southeastern freshman Paetyn Wiegand, a former Fort Madison athlete, ran 19:45.24 for 17th overall.
Koonce also doubled back in the 3,000 and was 13th overall in 10:18.32. Koonce was fourth in the slower Section 1. Des Moines Area Community College's Ava Manning took 15th overall in 10:22.14. Manning attended Des Moines Lincoln. Sophomore teammate Jaycie Vohs, who prepped at Ridge View (Holstein), arrived in 10:48.24 for 22nd.
Manning also competed in the mile and clocked 5:12.52 in Section 1 to end up second in the section and 12th overall.
Will return to the women's nationals in a bit, but switching to the NAIA indoor championships at the Alachua County Events Center in Gainesville, Florida, from March 5-7.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBellevue University star freshman Grace Steinmetz captured third nationally in her first indoor nationals. Coming off three Frontier Conference titles in South Dakota on Feb. 21-22, the Heartland Christian High School grad from Council Bluffs ran the 5,000 final in a new best of 17:08.38. The national champion, Jaynie Halterman of Taylor, ran 15:52.27.
Two Iowa programs finished All-American in the 4x800. A Dordt University squad with freshman and former Unity Christian (Orange City) athlete Addison Liston on the second leg ran 9:08.02 for fourth nationally. A Morningside College unit that included freshman and former Logan-Magnolia runner Madison Sporrer, junior and Lawton-Bronson product Jolee Mesz and senior Courtney Sporrer, sister of Madison, ran 9:11.74 for sixth. Indiana Wesleyan was the national champion in 9:00.62.
Dordt had run a winning time of 9:08.76 in Heat 3 of the prelims for the fourth-best time. The Mustangs won Heat 2 in a school-record time of 9:04.56 in the prelims.
A Northwestern College 4x800 squad that was fifth in Heat 1 in 9:23.93 ended up 16th overall in the prelims. The group included sophomore and ex-Pella High prep Macy Schroeder on leadoff, senior and former MOC-FV (Orange City) athlete Emily DeGroot on the third leg and junior Brielle Engelmann on the anchor. Engelmann prepped at Alta-Aurelia.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMount Mercy University junior Abby Knepper, a five-time America Conference indoor champion, racked up a sixth-place national finish in the 3,000. The Beckman (Dyersville) grad ran a new best of 9:59.25. The winner was senior Ellen-Mary Kearney of Milligan in 9:45.69.
A Dordt DMR unit grabbed eighth nationally in 12:00.56. Liston ran the leadoff 1,200, with senior and former Sioux Center athlete Ayda Den Herder on the 400. It was the first All-American honor in the event since 2021 and the fourth in the program's history. Marian (Ind.) won in 11:39.21.
Dordt, with Den Herder (400) and sophomore Olivia Hoogland (800) competing, took third in Heat 2 of the prelims to advance. They clocked 12:01.75. Hoogland is a Unity Christian (Orange City) grad.
A Morningside squad with freshman and former Cherokee Washington prep Estefana Beisswenger on the 1,200, freshman and former Ankeny Centennial runner Kylin Smith on the 400, freshman Ava Lang (800) from Hinton and junior Gabby Ryan (mile) took 14th overall in the prelims in 12:36.04 and eighth in Heat 1. Ryan is a Sergeant Bluff-Luton product. Only 10 teams advanced.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe women's mile prelims included North Scott grad Kaitlyn Knoche. The St. Ambrose junior took seventh in Heat 1 in a new best of 5:04.86. Knoche was 12th overall and was two spots away from making the finals.
Dordt's Liston competed in the 1,000 prelims. She was fifth in Heat 3 in a new best of 2:57.85 while ending up 16th overall.
The Dordt women were the best Iowa team in 13th place with 22 points. Marian took the team crown with 51 points.
St. Ambrose junior Dylan Grandon captured All-American honors in the 800 final. The Johnston grad from Urbandale ran 1:52.60 in Heat 3 to take second in that race and fifth overall and then repeated that fifth place in the final in 1:52.35. The winner, Park U.'s Cody Hammond, ran 1:50.95.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGrandon won the Men's Most Outstanding Track Athlete for the second consecutive year at the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships in February.
Northwestern College sophomore Carson Van Sickle, who competed for Ogden, ran 1:52.99 for fourth in Heat 2. He was ninth overall and the first one out.
Grandon also ran the anchor leg on the Bees' 4x800 that took fourth nationally. The squad that included ex-Cedar Falls athlete Tyler Moody on leadoff clocked 7:33.34 in the final. St. Ambrose had run the second-best time, 7:30.78, in Heat 1 of the prelims to advance.
A Dordt 4x800 with junior and Pella Christian grad Kaden Van Wyngarden on the third leg claimed sixth in the final in 7:41.89. The Defenders earned their spot in the final by taking second in Heat 3 of the prelims and sixth overall in 7:38.69. Marian (Ind.) won the national title in 7:27.72.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGrand View University senior Nathan Limas, a former Roland-Story runner, claimed All-American honors for a seventh time in seven tries. Limas finished the 3,000 race walk final in 12:39.15 for eighth after taking Heat 1 of the prelims in 13:30.69. The winner was timed in 11:51.71.
Morningside College junior Theo Moseman narrowly missed qualifying for the 600 final on the 200-meter banked track. The former Lawton-Bronson prep ran 1:19.25 in the prelims for second in Heat 3. He was the first man out.
Dordt's Van Wyngarden also competed in the mile. He took 18th overall in qualifying in 4:25.54 while taking 10th in Heat 1.
A Dordt DMR with sophomore and former George-Little Rock and North Dakota State runner Isaiah Johnson on the 400 and senior Sam May, a MOC-FV (Orange City) product, on the 800 ran 10:20.13 for the 18th-best time of the prelims.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Bees were the best Iowa team with 11 points while taking 21st nationally. Marian claimed the team crown with 66 points.
Moving back to the NJCAA indoor nationals, where the men's team race came down to the final event. Iowa Central earned a third-place national trophy by scoring 72 points, two behind New Mexico JC. Iowa Western was sixth with 55, and Indian Hills 10th with 35. Barton County took the team championship with 75 points.
Indian Hills was buoyed by a national championship from its 4x800 team, with an Iowan running the third leg. Freshman and former Winfield-Mount Union athlete Kohlby Newsom helped power the Warriors to the second-best time in NJCAA history, 7:28.52. That time set the NJCAA indoor record and the squad included Evan Beeler, Brian Kiprop and Jaquan Coke. Indian Hills, in taking Section 2 by 1.21 seconds over New Mexico JC, smashed its previous program record by nearly eight seconds.
A Southeastern Community College squad with sophomore and former Center Point-Urbana prep Peyton Stowers on leadoff, freshman Peyton Lambert from Fort Madison, freshman Carter Easton, another CP-U grad, and freshman Nick Powell of Danville ended up 12th and fifth in Section 1 in 7:52.53.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAn Iowa Western unit with freshman and former Iowa City West competitor Moustafa Tiea on the second leg and former Urbandale runner Landon Hartley, a sophomore, took seventh in Section 2 and 14th overall in 7:53.67.
Des Moines Area Community College sophomore Eli Page finished fifth nationally in the mile. The Division II athlete, competing against a large field of Division I runners, ran a new best of 4:09.87. The former Vinton-Shellsburg competitor overcame running in Section 2, considered the second fastest of three, to earn the All-American honor. Page was second in that section. The winner, Odessa freshman Mehdi Melaouah, ran in the fastest Section 3 and was clocked in 4:07.55.
Two of Page's DMACC teammates also competed. Sophomore and former Des Moines Lincoln prep Zack Stoermer won Section 1 in 4:15.05. He was 13th overall. Freshman and former Dallas Center-Grimes athlete Sam Mora was third in Section 1 in 4:17.33 and 17th overall.
In Section 2, North Iowa Area freshman Gavin Grunhovd, who competed for North Iowa (Buffalo Center), was seventh in 4:21.38 and 22nd overall.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGrunhovd also gave a strong showing in the 5,000 in his first NJCAA indoor nationals. He took 10th overall and 10th in the fastest Section 2 in a new best of 14:51.23. National champion Itumeleng Ngxabazi of Butler ran 14:20.09.
An Iowa Western DMR with freshman and Tiea on the third leg finished third nationally. The Reivers ran 9:50.26 while taking second to Iowa Central in Section 2 by .2 of a second.
An Indian Hills squad with freshman Newsom on the first leg ran 9:50.93 for fourth nationally. The Warriors won Section 2. A DMACC unit with Mora on leadoff, Stoemer on the third leg and Page on the anchor ran 10:02.85 for third in Section 1 and ninth overall. Odessa won Section 1 in 9:48.40, a time that held up for the national title.
Newsom made the finals of the 1,000, but missed scoring for his team by one spot. Newsom came through with a new best of 2:25.60 in the prelims for third in Heat 4 to qualify for the final. That race didn't go as well as the Warriors freshman settled for ninth in 2:32.65. The winning, Iowa Western's Pierre Carlier, ran 2:24.40.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNorth Iowa Area's Grunhovd came back to compete in the 3,000 and ended up 20th overall in 8:37.22. DMACC freshman Joseph Lawry, who attended Waukee High, ran 8:52.81. for 28th overall.
Hartley, the Iowa Western sophomore, took 25th in the prelims of the 800. Hartley ran 1:55.94 to take sixth in Heat 1.
Returning to NJCAA women's nationals now. In that DMR, Iowa Central was fifth overall in 12:03.89 behind anchor Alivia Edens. Edens prepped at Tipton High School. Indian Hills, seventh in 12:14.49, featured former Waterloo West runner Alexa Zanders, a sophomore, on the 400 and freshman Abby George, an Albia product, on the 800.
In the 1,000 final on March 7, Edens finished ninth to narrowly miss scoring for the Tritons. Edens ran 3:04.26 a day after posting the sixth-best time, 2:58.14, in Heat 2 of the prelims. Sakat owned the best time, 2:48.98, among the heats.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAn all-Iowa Southeastern Community College squad that included sophomore Rylee Olsen of Keokuk, sophomore Chloe Ferneau of Treynor, freshman Isabel Stout of Letts and sophomore Aubrey Kuntz of Mediapolis ended up 14th in 10:52.64.
Indian Hills' Zanders and George ran in the 800 prelims on March 6. Zanders was third in Heat 1 in 1:35.70 and 11th overall, but didn't advance. George ran 1:37.99 in Heat 2 for third place and 17th overall, but also didn't move on.
Hawkeye Community College sophomore Mallori Jones, a BCLUW (Conrad) grad, ran the 11th-best time in the 800 prelims. Jones was sixth in Heat 3 in 2:18.61. Iowa Western's Kulesa was seventh in Heat 1 of the 800 prelims in 2:23.23 for 19th overall.
In that 5,000, Indian Hills sophomore and Prairie City-Monroe product Tiffani Koonce placed 14th overall and 12th in the difficult Section 2 that Sakat won. Koonce's time was 18:50.46. In Section 1, Southeastern freshman Paetyn Wiegand, a former Fort Madison athlete, ran 19:45.24 for 17th overall.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementKoonce also doubled back in the 3,000 and was 13th overall in 10:18.32. Koonce was fourth in the slower Section 1. Des Moines Area Community College's Ava Manning took 15th overall in 10:22.14. Manning attended Des Moines Lincoln. Sophomore teammate Jaycie Vohs, who prepped at Ridge View (Holstein), arrived in 10:48.24 for 22nd.
Manning also competed in the mile and clocked 5:12.52 in Section 1 to end up second in the section and 12th overall.
Moving to triathlon, where former Storm Lake resident and Buena Vista University athlete and professor Matt Hanson started his 2026 season in style. The resident of Castle Rock, Colorado, picked up a strong third place at Ironman New Zealand on March 7 in Taupō. Hanson ran down home country favorite Kyle Smith on the 26.2-mile run to run 2:34.49 for that discipline, best in the field, and 7:50:38 overall. Hanson covered the 2.4-mile swim in 49:56 and the 112-mile bike in 4:20:42. He was just 4:05 behind American champion Trevor Foley, who owned the best bike leg of 4:14:15, but had to re-pass Hanson in the final stages of the run. France's Pierre Le Corre was second in 7:48:25.
"Obviously happy with the overall performance and the Kona slot, but the athlete in me is a bit bummed to get so close to a win and not be able to seal the deal. Good swim and strong bike, but still came out of T2 in 9th with a decent deficit to some strong runners. I knew I’d have to be aggressive to have a shot at the win. I had moved into 2nd and was only down about 20 seconds to the lead as we neared the 20 mile mark of the run. But both @tfoleyracing and @pierre.le.corre found another gear the last loop and my wheels came off. I ended up holding on to 3rd for dear life. You don’t get a lot of opportunities to take a win in this sport, so definitely a tough one to not finish the chase. To earn the win, you’ve gotta be able to ‘run on not hang on’ for the last 10k, and the boys up front did just that so earned the result. Still taking a lot of positives out of the day and happy to get some good points on the board for the 2026 Pro Series."
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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Mile posts: Items on Alyssa Kulesa, Grace Steinmetz, Dylan Grandon, Nathan Limas, Kohlby Newsom, Eli Page, Matt Hanson
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