Husband and wife Riley Witt and Kiki Witt are well positioned to both compete at NCAA Division II indoor track and field nationals.

The Northwest Missouri State distance medley relay team that featured Witt, a senior, on the leadoff 1,200 leg won the event at the Bearcat Invite at Hughes Fieldhouse in Maryville, MO, on Friday, Feb. 6. The Bearcats posted a time of 9 minutes, 39.65 seconds that is third best nationally in Division II and topped an Iowa Western squad that set the NJCAA record of 9:42.45.

A Bearcats women’s DMR with Kiki Witt on the mile anchor also picked up a victory, in 11:38.82, that is the sixth best nationally. Northwest topped an Iowa Western squad that ran 11:55.29 for second.

Riley Witt, a former St. Ansgar prep, and Kiki Witt, who prepped at Charles City before starting her college career at Northern Iowa and then Iowa State, lead off this edition of the WEEKEND UPDATE of the best performances by Iowa-based collegiate and post collegiate distance runners and triathletes.

Some other Iowa collegians competed on the 300-meter flat track. Iowa Western sophomore Landon Hartley, an Urbandale grad, claimed 15th in the 1,000 in a new personal-best time of 2:33.72. The top time was 2:27.03.

North Iowa Area Community College freshman Gavin Grunhovd claimed seventh in the 3,000. The former North Iowa (Buffalo Center) runner crossed the finish line in a new personal record of 8:32.42 in a race won in 7:57.39.

William Penn University junior Andrew Miller ran 4:24.53 to grab 21st in the mile. Miller is a Pleasant Valley product. Iowa Western freshman Holden Jensen, a former Griswold prep, ran a new PR of 4:25.05 for 23rd. Missouri Western grad student Wimachmorr Galo ended up 26th in 4:26.88. He attended Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson and Iowa Western before arriving at Iowa Western. The top time was 4:08.11.

Jensen also made his college debut in the 5,000 and came away with 16th place in 15:29.01. The winner ran 14:30.00.

Missouri Western senior Abby Kinney picked up fourth place in the 3,000. The Waukee High grad ran 10:38.92. The best time was 9:54.38.

Northwest Missouri State junior Mayson Hartley, who prepped at Clarinda, was 10th in the mile in 5:11.85. The winner ran 4:49.52.

Moving to the ECAC (Eastern College Athletic Conference)/IC4A Championships Feb. 7-8 at the Boston University Track & Tennis Center, where former Des Moines Roosevelt athlete Adrienne Buettner-Cable won a title with BU’s DMR. The junior ran the 800 leg on a Terriers unit that moved into fourth in school history with a 11:33.33 mark. The quartet topped Brown by just a tenth of a second.

Buettner-Cable also produced a strong time in the mile while taking second place on the 200-meter banked track. She ran 4:46.62 to trail only Brown senior Nimrit Ahuja by .82 of a second.

Nebraska redshirt sophomore Gabe Nash continued his strong indoor season at the 50th Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational in Lincoln, NE. The Sioux City North grad claimed victory in the mile in a new PR of 4:06.48. Nash topped Cornhuskers teammate Kaleb Sharp by 3.25 seconds. South Dakota sophomore Natnael Kifle, another Sioux City North product, took fourth in a new best of 4:10.51. Dordt University junior Kaden Van Wyngarden took eighth on the 200-meter banked track at the Devaney Center in 4:15.87. Van Wyngarden competed for Pella Christian.

Kifle also produced a new PR of 8:22.14 in the 3,000 while taking third overall. Kifle now ranks eighth in school history. The best time was 8:19.59.

The PRs continued with South Dakota sophomore Geneva Timmerman, who won the mile in 4:48.78. That time ranks third best in Coyotes history. Timmerman is a former ADM (Adel) prep who won by 3.36 seconds. Freshman teammate Drew Beason, who graduated from Ankeny High, was fifth in 4:54.70. Morningside College senior Courtney Sporrer, a former Logan-Magnolia runner, ended up 17th in 5:09.09.

Urbandale product Tommy Hensley placed third in the 800 in 1:52.31. Hensley is a freshman at South Dakota. Northwestern College sophomore Carson Van Sickle, a former Ogden competitor, claimed the NAIA ‘B’ standard for nationals with a fourth-place finish. Van Sickle ran 1:52.47. The best time was 1:50.09.

Iowa State hosted the last of its indoor meets at the Leid Center on Feb. 6. Jason Renze, a former Madrid athlete who went on to run at nationals for the Air Force, picked up a runner-up finish in the mile on the 300-meter flat track. The Omaha, NE, resident ran 4:03.50. It was just off his PR of 4:03.43 set at the Cyclone Open in Ames on Jan. 23. South Dakota State redshirt junior Will Lohr, who prepped at Sioux City North, set a new best of 4:06.45 for fifth place. Des Moines Area Community College freshman Sam Mora set a new best by nearly three seconds after taking 18th in 4:18.65. Mora attended Dallas Center-Grimes. Northern Iowa true freshman Jonas VanDis, who prepped at Waukee High, was next in a new best of 4:18.69. Creighton true freshman Owen Marett, a former Des Moines Roosevelt runner, was 23rd in 4:20.98 in his college debut at the mile. Former Bettendorf prep Caleb Rankin, running unattached, took 27th in 4:22.03. The top time was 4:01.82.

Northern Iowa redshirt sophomore Derek Woods ran a strong effort in the 800. The Cedar Falls product took 12th in 1:50.84. Northern Iowa redshirt senior Chase Knoche, competing unattached, ran 1:52.30 for 16th. He is a former Calamus-Wheatland athlete. Northern Iowa freshman Keegan Steege, another ex-Cedar Falls runner, was 17th in 1:52.78. Iowa State redshirt freshman Tommy Tyynismaa, who attended South Tama County, ended up 20th in 1:53.12. Northern Iowa sophomore Jake Bosch ran 1:53.26 for 23rd. He competed for Ankeny High. Indian Hills Community College freshman Kohlby Newsom grabbed the NJCAA standard for indoor nationals with a 1:53.32 time. The Winfield-Mount Union grad was 24th. The top time was 1:48.84 by Iowa Central’s Said Rifi Loutfi.

Northern Iowa redshirt freshman Micah Rees made his 5,000 debut a memorable one. The ex-Washington High prep claimed fourth in 14:44.87. Northern Iowa teammate Carson Owens, competing unattached, was eighth in 14:53.75. He ran for Southeast Polk. Drake freshman John Moellers debuted for the distance and produced a ninth-place finish in 14:55.95. He is a Marshalltown product. Iowa sophomore Ethan Eichhorn, who attended Council Bluffs Lewis Central, was next in a new best of 14:59.73. Drake’s Brenden Heitzig won in 14:19.14.

Iowa State senior Ashlyn Keeney took third in the 1,000 in a new best time of 2:47.69. Keeney ran for Iowa City Liberty High. She was the No. 2 Cyclone runner in a race won in 2:45.25.South Dakota State true freshman Nora Peterson missecd a new PR in the mile by .08 of a second after taking sixth in 4:59.11. Peterson is an Alta-Aurelia grad. Northern Iowa sophomore Clare Wright, a former Jesup runner, was eighth in 4:59.80, a time that took nearly four seconds off her previous best. Runablaze Iowa’s Nikki Borner, 40, of Indianola placed 10th in 5:02.14. Northern Iowa junior Liza Schaffer, who competed for North Polk, was 14th in 5:07.67. The best time was 4:50.46.

DMACC sophomore Eli Page produced an NJCAA indoor qualifying time for nationals in the 3,000. The former Vinton-Shellsburg athlete ran 8:30.29 to take sixth. The best time was 8:10.18.Northern Iowa freshman Sarah Feddersen, a Gilbert product who hails from Ames, took eighth in the 800 in 2:13.88. Sophomore teammate Anna Van Kooten, who competed for Southeast Polk, was next to finish in 2:14.27. South Dakota State true freshman Madalyn Childs ran a new best of 2:15.04 for 10th. Childs attended Grand View Christian and is from Altoona. Indian Hills freshman Abby George, an Albia grad, ran 2:15.34 for 11th. That time earns George a spot at NCJAA nationals. Northern Iowa freshman Josee Simonson, another ex-Cedar Falls runner, was 14th in 2:15.76. The winning time was 2:04.01.

Iowa senior Rowan Boulter established a new best of 10:00.14 for the 3,000 while placing fifth. Boulter is a former Iowa City High prep. Indian Hills sophomore Tiffani Koonce came through with a new PR in 10:16.24. Koonce is a former Prairie City-Monroe athlete. The winner ran 9:44.12.

The Wartburg Indoor Select meet was billed as a chance for men’s milers to post a time for NCAA Division III indoor nationals. Two runners jumped into the top 10 nationally with strong times in Waverly. Central College junior Jack Brown took the victory in 4:07.86, a time that was just .06 of a second slower than his time at the Frigib Bee Invitational in December. Brown stayed at fifth nationally in the event. The Norwalk grad held off Wartburg senior Lance Sobaski by just .12 of a second. The Washington High product slid into eighth place nationally with his runner-up finish.

Simpson College sophomore James Johnson was next to finish in 4:11.84, a time that ranks outside the top 25 nationally. That is the third-best time in Storm history. Johnson attended Marshalltown. Wartburg junior Nathan Kinzer, a former Liberty High runner, was fourth in 4:12.61. Freshman teammate Ahmed Aldamak claimed sixth in 4:15.13. He competed for Cedar Falls. Knights sophomore Solomon Zaugg, a Mediapolis grad, took seventh in 4:15.29. Fellow sophomore Andrew Smith, who went to Glenwood, was eighth in 4:15.52. Former Wartburg runner Michael Goodenbour, another Cedar Falls grad, came in 10th in 4:16.70. Knights freshman Gage Heyne, a former English Valleys (North English) prep, took 14th in 4:19.40. Coming in 15th was sophomore teammate Aidan Decker, another former Liberty High athlete, in 4:20.04. Redshirt freshman AJ Schermerhorn, who started his career at Iowa State after graduating from Ankeny Centennial, took 17th in 4:21.62. Central College sophomore James Brant took 19th in 4:22.05. Brant competed for South Tama. Freshman teammate Donovan Card, a former Norwalk athlete, was next in 4:22.10. Dutch sophomore Dillon Starlin, who attended Creston, ran 4:22.55 for 21st. Wartburg freshman Ryan Heden, a Bettendorf grad, was 22nd in 4:22.72. Knights senior Conner Sattler, a former Clinton High runner, was 23rd in 4:22.83. Sophomore teammate Clay Warson, a Madrid product, took 24th in 4:23.47. Knights sophomore Brendan Owens, another Centennial grad, was 26th in 4:24.19.

Wartburg sophomore Logan Rosas, who attended Mediapolis, took victory in the 800. Rosas ran 1:54.65 to win by .38 of a second over junior teammate and former New London prep Rylan Martin.

Wartburg senior Haley Meyer posted a victory in the mile. The Kee (Lansing) grad ran 5:03.41 to top Central true freshman and former Dallas Center-Grimes runner Maddy Stevens by 2.95 seconds. Dutch sophomore Teah Miller, who ran for Iowa Falls-Alden prior to coming to Waverly, grabbed fourth in 5:08.46. Knights sophomore Anna Quillin, a former Solon athlete, was fifth in 5:10.72. Cornell College senior Ava Claussen-Tubbs, an Anamosa product, came in sixth in 5:11.14.

Former Wartburg American Rivers Conference champion Lexi Brown, now with the Fitness Sports Distance Project, took second in the 3,000. The former New London prep ran 9:55.11 to trail the winner, Wartburg’s Maddie Merna, by .8 of a second.

NOTE: This blog will be UPDATED.

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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Mile posts: Items on Riley Witt, Kiki Witt, Adrienne Buettner-Cable, Gabe Nash, Geneva Timmerman, Jason Renze, Jack Brown