IRVING, Texas – Iowa State seniors Lisa Koll and Guor Marial have been named Big 12 Cross Country Runners of the Week. It is the first conference weekly award for Marial and the second for Koll.
“Both (Koll) and (Marial) came here four or five years ago and wanted to turn things around,” head coach Corey Ihmels said. “They have provided great leadership for the group. I think what they've been able to accomplish here will leave a legacy for us to build on for the future.”
Koll finished runner-up to Minnesota's Megan Duwell, finishing the 6,000-meter race with a time of 21 minutes 12 seconds in a field of 193 runners. Koll's second-place performance helped Iowa State to win with 31 points, equaling the all-time meet low score previously set by Minnesota.
“I think (Roy Griak Invitational) was a really good starting point for me this year,” Koll said. “I was kind of using this last weekend as a springboard for the next three weeks to get some really good training in.”
This was Koll's first cross country meet for the Cyclones in nearly two years. The five-time All-American redshirted the 2008 cross country season and was the Griak runner-up for the second time.
“It feels great to be a part of a team that is going places,” Koll said. “I think both the men's and the women's side feed off each other. To have both of us win this award in the same week together shows a lot about our program and a lot about the steps we are taking to move forward as a team.”
Marial's second-place finish on 8,000-meter course (24:51) led the Iowa State men to the school's first Roy Griak Invitational Championship in 16 years. ISU won the men's meet with a team score of 71.
“The most important thing for me is how well the team did this weekend,” Marial said. “We went to Griak not to race as individuals, but to work as a team. It was a surprise for me to see us do that well. I was really happy to see my teammates do so well, and to see the women do so well.”
In his fourth and final time running at this meet, Marial finished as the runner-up, finishing 13 seconds behind first-place finisher Hassan Mead (Minnesota). It was the best finish at the Roy Griak Invitational for Marial as a Cyclone.
Iowa State's win Saturday marked the fourth time that the Cyclones men have won Roy Griak Invitational Championship (1989, 1990, 1993, 2009).
