Select Group of Rams Travel to Iowa State Classic

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FORT COLLINS – Five Rams set out in search of NCAA indoor qualifying marks and personal or school records at the annual Iowa State Classic starting this Friday inside the Lied Recreation Athletic Center in Ames, Iowa.

Representing the throwers, Tarynn Sieg and Ashton Hallsted will compete in the women's shot put and weight throw. Distance runners Eric Hamer and Dawson LaRance will race in the men's 5,000-meter and 800m, respectively, while sprinter Lauren Gale will be in the women's 200 and 400.

Hamer still holds onto the season's top 5,000-meter time in the NCAA with an adjusted altitude mark of 13:36.18 from the Mines Front Range Open last weekend. Last year at the Iowa State Classic, Hamer finished third with a time of 13:43.62. He is shooting to better his school record of 13:40.11 that he set at the Boston Opener in December of 2019.

Coincidentally, the two throwers are tied 26^th nationally in the weight throw at 66'1.5'', representing the fifth-best mark in CSU history. Sieg has the nation's 40^th-best mark this season in the shot put at 51'1.5'', but that is well below her personal record of 56'1'' which she tossed to win the event at the Mountain West Indoor Championships last year. The current No. 16 spot nationally in the weight throw is 67'10.75'' whereas the shot put is at 53'2.75''.

After taking a meet off in the 200 and 400m, Gale will be back on the blocks in her specialty races. She won the 400 with a time of 54.08 in the season-opening Air Force invitational at the end of January. The CSU recorder holder in the event has a PR of 53.48, while owning the fifth-best CSU all-time mark in the 200 at 24.16. The edge of qualifying for both events are 53.10 and 23.65, respectively.

LaRance, a transfer from Minnesota, is running the 800m for the first time this season. His collegiate PR is 1:49.05 – a time that would fit into NCAA's top-16 if replicated. That time would also put him at No. 2 on CSU's all-time list. Last season as a Gopher, LaRance finished third in this same race and meet.

The first group of Rams to begin competition on Friday will be the weight throw at 12:00 p.m. MT. Hamer will run in the first heat of the 5000 at 3:20 p.m MT. On Saturday, Gale hits the blocks at 11:50 in the 400 and 1:25 in the 200. The women's shot put starts at noon and LaRance runs at 1:15.

Coaches' Corner
Brian Bedard, head coach
"We are going to get challenged in the throws. There will be a lot of talent there and we are not the top seeds going in, so I'm excited to see how we respond. For Ashton, we are building up her skills in the shot put, so she can score for us in conference. It will be a good opportunity to face tough competition and hit some NCAA marks."

Art Siemers, distance coach
"A lot will depend on this week and next week when majority of the conference meets are happening. This is LaRance's first 800m of the season and he is in a new program, so he just wants to go out there and compete hard to see where he is at. Typically, he would have an 800 in his legs already, but he wanted to run at the Wyoming cross country meet. Hamer is aiming for a victory and to match his time that he put up last weekend at the Mines. Also, he has his eyes set on bettering his school record."

J.J. Riese, assistant coach
"The goal for Lauren going into this meet is to go get a national-qualifying mark. She will have to run in the neighborhood of sub 53 seconds in the 400m. Iowa State is known for having a fast track, so it is a good environment for her to succeed. There is no altitude conversions on this track as it lays at essentially sea level."

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