Mile posts: Items on Isaiah Hammerand, James Johnson, Brogan Austin, Karissa Schweizer, Kassie Parker, Aaron Fynaardt, Ani Wedemeyer
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The Wartburg College men own, apparently, an unofficial but equally impressive record you won't find in any record book.
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The Knights traveled to Platteville, Wisconsin, on Friday, April 10 to try and exceed the exceptional number of 18 runners who broke 15 minutes for 5 kilometers last year at the UW-Platteville Invitational.
And they did just that.
Nineteen Wartburg men eclipsed that mark, paced by junior standout Isaiah Hammerand, in a show of force for their distance program. The Knights lead off this edition of the WEEKEND UPDATE of the best performances by Iowa-based collegiate and post collegiate distance runners and triathletes.
The 19 men averaged an amazing 14:42.44 for 12 1/2 laps around the track. Hammerand, the former Western Dubuque prep, took second overall in 13:59.93. That effort allowed him to become the 26th NCAA Division III runner to break 14 minutes outdoors and claim American Rivers Conference weekly honors. Hammerand's time is now third on the program all-time list and third nationally in Division III. Hammerand was 5.66 seconds behind University of Wisconsin freshman Cillian Gleeson, who was running unattached.
The remaining Knights were well back of Hammerand, including sophomore Ayden Buchanan (22nd, 14:20.37) and sophomore Solomon Zaugg (23rd, 14:21.27). Buchanan and Zaugg, a Mediapolis product, moved into seventh and eighth in Wartburg school history. The other Knights from Iowa who broke 15 minutes were:
27. Ander Julian, senior (ex-New London), 14:27.61
35. Seth Bailey, senior (ex-New London), 14:31.55.
43. Ahmed Aldamak, freshman (ex-Cedar Falls), 14:35.17
63. AJ Schermerhorn, redshirt freshman (ex-Ankeny Centennial), 14:43.57
74. Andrew Smith, sophomore (ex-Glenwood), 14:46.65
82. Conner Sattler, senior (ex-Clinton), 14:49.65
88. Ben Neville, sophomore (ex-Johnston), 14:52.07
89. Cooper Cook, sophomore (ex-Marion), 14:52.09
93. Nathan Kinzer, junior (ex-Iowa City Liberty), 14:52.68
96. Aidan Decker, sophomore (ex-Iowa City Liberty), 14:53.53
98. Ethan Boston, freshman (ex-Linn-Mar), 14:54.21
110. Clay Warson, sophomore (ex-Madrid), 14:57.61
Ten of the 19 Knights breaking 15 minutes were underclassmen. Many other Iowa natives from other teams also excelled during Friday's night 5K races that included a whopping 11 sections and 343 finishers.
Simpson College sophomore James Johnson, who prepped at Marshalltown, took 14th place in 14:15.62. That time is second best in program history, trailing only NCAA 2024 10,000 champion Spencer Moon's 29:18.21 from that season. He ranks 15th in NCAA Division III for the season. Augustana University sophomore Bryant Keller secured 19th place in 14:18.52. That time puts the Glenwood grad in second all time in Vikings history, less than two seconds from Tanner Osing's 14:16.76 mark from 2017.
Former Knight and Cedar Falls High athlete Michael Goodenbour, now with the Driftless Distance Project based in Wisconsin, was next to finish in 14:19.23. He bested his time at Platteville from a year ago by more than six seconds. Keller's senior teammate, Brady Hogan, took 31st in 14:29.25. The Decorah product ran into fifth in Augustana history with his new personal record. Wisconsin-Platteville junior Zach Sporaa, a former North Polk athlete from Madrid, was 34th in 14:31.0. He missed improving on his 14:28.45 time, which was third in school history.
Landing in 68th place was North Central (IL) senior Aidan Armstrong. The ex-Muscatine runner set a new best by more than 10 seconds while clocking 14:44.84. Former Iowa City High prep Parker Max, now a senior at St. Olaf, took 80th in a new PR of 14:49.11. Former Wartburg and Cedar Rapids Kennedy runner Jacob Green ended up 81st in 14:49.52. Cracking the top 100 was Loras College junior and former Cedar Falls competitor Colby Cryer in a new best of 14:54.39. He was 99th. Luther College sophomore Jacob Bruns posted a new PR of 14:56.06. Bruns prepped at Cedar Rapids Kennedy. Next to finish was Loras freshman Cameron Gotto, a former a Pleasant Valley competitor, in a new best of 14:56.51.
Will return to track and field in a bit, but shifting gears to the USATF 100K Championships on Saturday, April 11. Former Boone High, Drake University and Runablaze Iowa athlete Brogan Austin, 34, grabbed his second USATF title in Madison, Wisconsin. The Tinman Elite athlete now based in Littleton, Colorado, covered the 62.2 miles on the shore of Lake Wingra in 6:34:00. That time, run on a 10K loop course at the UW Arboretum, is second best in Mad City Ultras race history. Austin, the USATF 50-mile champion in Vienna, Illinois, on Nov. 8, 2025, also earned the automatic U.S. spot for the IAU 100K World Championships in Galicia, Spain, on Sept. 20. Austin, the 2018 USATF Marathon champion in Sacramento, California, averaged 6:20 per mile while picking up $650 for the win.
Joining Austin in Spain will be fellow Iowan Phil Young, a Runablaze Iowa athlete and the owner of two Fleet Feet stores in Davenport and Des Moines. The Davenport man, 39, captured second place in 6:45:23 to hold off Anthony Fagundes by 2:31. Young had run under 7:15:00 to earn a spot at worlds.
To the roads and the USATF 10 Mile Championship as part of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom race in Washington, D.C., on April 12. Two-time track Olympian Karissa Schweizer competed in the longest race of her career in her eventual transition to the marathon. The Dowling Catholic product and six-time NCAA champion for Missouri claimed third place in the USATF competition and $2,500 after clocking 50:55. The 29-year-old Portland, Oregon, resident was in contention until just before nine miles, when eventual runner-up Weini Kelati put in a 4:57 mile that dropped Schweizer. Schweizer also gained $1,000 for a fifth-place overall finish in a race won by Asayech Ayichew Ayichew, 21, of Ethiopia in 50:37. Emma Grace Hurley, 28, was the American champion in 50:42.
“That was so fun,” Schweizer said in an interview with Race Results Weekly. “I just feel like there is so much energy out there, and I was definitely a little scared of the distance. It just felt a little intimidating, but I just felt very relaxed throughout most of it.”
Seven-time Loras College NCAA champion Kassie Parker, a Crown Running athlete, picked up fifth place in the USATF competition in 52:01. The Waverly resident, 26, who prepped at Clayton Ridge (Guttenberg) earned $800 in the USATF race and another $400 for the overall competition for eighth place among the pro women. Parker was ahead of 13-time Iowa State Big 12 Conference champion Cailie Logue Hughes, 27, of the Minnesota Distance Elite squad. Logue Hughes ran 52:53 for 10th in the USATF competition and 15th overall. She resides in Bloomington, Minnesota.
In the men's competition, Sioux City North grad Merga Gemeda of the MDE team finished 11th in the USATF event and 14th overall in 46:57. The ex-South Dakota runner, 26, clocked a new best by a massive 1:50 over his time at the TC 10 Mile in Minneapolis from 2025. He resides in Minnetonka, Minnesota.
Former Spirit Lake athlete Will Norris, the 2025 Twin Cities Marathon champion now based in Charlottesville, Virginia, took 23rd overall in 47:51. Two athletes from the Fitness Sports Distance Project competed. Three-time IMT Des Moines Half Marathon champion Cody Baele, 29, of Des Moines took 29th in 49:00. Kallin Carolus Khan, 29, of Iowa City and a former Iowa Hawkeye runner was 56th among all men in 51:35. The winner was Mohammed El Youssfi, 28, of Morocco in 46:17.
The annual Jim Duncan Invitational at Drake Stadium in Des Moines on Friday, April 10 featured several Iowa teams and individuals. A men's premier 1,500 was contested between three runners, with former Iowa State athlete Titus Winders of the MDE squad taking the victory in 3:51.53. He toppe Drake junior Xander Kwa (3:52.18) and South Dakota State junior Will Lohr (3:52.37). Lohr is a Sioux City North grad. Taking fourth place was Des Moines Area Community College sophomore Eli Page, who competed for Vinton-Shellsburg, in 3:55.50. Page earned the NJCAA Division I standard for nationals. Cedar Falls High's Jaden Merrick, who is passing up his senior season to compete in some high-level meets, grabbed seventh in 3:58.61. He was ahead of Iowa sophomore and former Council Bluffs Lewis Central prep Ethan Eichhorn in eighth in a new best of 3:59.20.
In the other sections of the 1,500, DMACC freshman Sam Mora, a Dallas Center-Grimes product, topped the time of his more experienced teammate. Mora ran 3:54.56 to take the win and gain the NJCAA standard for nationals. He won by nearly two seconds. Sophomore teammate Zack Stoemer, a former Des Moines Lincoln runner, was 9th in 4:00.40. Runablaze's Josh Evans, who prepped at Linn-Mar (Marion), was next in 4:01.02. Iowa Western's Landon Hartley narrowly missed a PR after clocking 4:02.80 for 12th. Hartley attended Urbandale.
Northern Iowa redshirt sophomore Derek Woods established a new best while winning the 800. The Cedar Falls grad was timed in 1:49.41 to edge Iowa Western's Pierre Carlier by .23 of a second. Iowa State redshirt freshman Tommy Tyynismaa, who prepped at North Tama, was ninth in 1:52.38. Southeastern Community College sophomore Peyton Stowers, who competed for Center Point-Urbana, secured a new best of 1:52.80 while taking the NJCAA standard for nationals. Northern Iowa sophomore Jake Bosch ended up 12th in 1:53.21. He ran for Ankeny High. Sophomore teammate Chase Lauman, a former Pella High athlete, was next in 1:54.05.
Drake grad and MDE athlete Emilie Meyer was a winner in her return to the Blue Oval. Meyer ran 2:07.13 to win by 1.74 seconds. Iowa junior and Van Meter product Clare Kelly grabbed third place in 2:09.72. Cornell College senior Ava Claussen-Tubbs, a former Anamosa prep, secured ninth in 2:13.91. Northern Iowa freshman Josee Simonson grabbed 12th in 2:14.40. Simonson competed for Cedar Falls.
In the 1,500 premier race, Iowa State redshirt senior Bella Heikes secured fifth place in 4:24.51. Heikes is a former Johnston athlete. Central College senior Peyton Steffen narrowly missed a new PR while running 4:28.29 for eighth. Steffen attended Marion. Steffen edged Northern Iowa redshirt senior and Ankeny Centennial product Millie Hill, who set a new best of 4:29.94 for ninth. Hill moved into fifth in Panthers program history. Iowa State senior Ashlyn Keeney took 10th in 4:31.57. Keeney ran for Iowa City Liberty. Iowa senior Jalyssa Blazek, who ran for Turkey Valley (Jackson Junction) before ended up in Iowa City, ran 4:38.46 for 11th. The best time was 4:19.18.
In the other 1,500 sections, Central College freshman and ex-Marion athlete Kyra Cordes set a new best of 4:35.45 while taking third place. Freshman teammate Maddy Stevens, who attended Dallas Center-Grimes, was two spots back in a new PR of 4:37.51. Northern Iowa sophomore Clare Wright, a Jesup grad, ran 4:37.83 for a new best. Iowa State redshirt freshman Olivia Verde, who prepped at Johnston, was eighth in 4:40.31. South Dakota State freshman Nora Peterson took ninth in a new best 4:42.0. Peterson ran for Alta-Aurelia. Drake sophomore Gracie Foster ended up 14th in 4:48.82. Foster is an Indianola product. Iowa Western sophomore Alyssa Kulesa gained the NJCAA standard for nationals with a 15th-place finish in 4:49.06. Kulesa competed for Treynor. Northern Iowa junior and ex-North Polk runner Liza Schaffer was 18th in 4:53.25. The best time was 4:32.79.
William Penn University junior Andrew Miller secured second in the 3,000 steeplechase. The Pleasant Valley grad ran 9:26.78, which was about two seconds shy of a new PR. Northern Iowa redshirt junior Caleb Kass, a former Dubuque Hempstead prep, ran 9:47.09 for third. The winning time was 9:24.83.
Northern Iowa redshirt freshman Meghan Wheatley was a winner in her return to the Blue Oval. The North Linn product ran the 5,000 in 17:24.88 to win by nearly 10 seconds. Taking third was former Union (La Porte City) runner Amilia Condon, a freshman at Drake. Condon ran 17:48.97 in her track debut at the distance.
Former Des Moines Christian athlete Aaron Fynaardt, who started his career at Drake, took a win in the 1,500 at the Rhodes 7-Way Meet in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 11. The Union (TN) redshirt junior clocked a new best of 3:52.99 to win by nearly six seconds.
Moving east to the Bison Outdoor Classic, where Johns Hopkins freshman Ani Wedemeyer made a strong 1,500 debut. The Pleasant Valley grad ran 4:28.32 for 13th place in a race won in 4:23.37 by Penn State's Katie Dallas at Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.
Shifting back to the UW-Platteville Invitational on April 11, where Cedar Rapids Prairie and Loras College grad Mike Jasa was a winner in the 1,500. The NCAA 800 indoor champion for Loras who now competes for the FSDP squad ran 3:52.83. Jasa won by nearly four seconds.
Loras College redshirt freshman Keelee Leitzen narrowly missed a new PR while taking the win in the women's 1,500. The Dubuque Hempstead product ran 4:28.57 to win by more than three seconds. Freshman teammate Savannah Davis, who attended Mason City High, was seventh in 4:53.00.
In the women's 5,000 on Friday night, Wartburg sophomore and former Hampton-Dumont competitor Lydia Maas grabbed 41st in a new best of 17:27.08. Central College junior Teah Miller, who attended Iowa Falls-Alden, was 49th in 17:39.04. South Dakota State freshman Annika Larson ended up 57th in 17:43.84. Larson ran for Ballard (Huxley). The winner ran 16:17.01.
NOTE: This blog will be UPDATED.
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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Mile posts: Items on Isaiah Hammerand, James Johnson, Brogan Austin, Karissa Schweizer, Kassie Parker, Aaron Fynaardt, Ani Wedemeyer