Mile posts: Items on Hillary Bor, Biya Simbassa, Megan Johnson, Max Murphy, Noah Kohut-Jackson, Madison Brouwer, Natnael Kifle, Bella Heikes

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Mile Posts blog will only include professional distance runners, triathletes or top post-collegiate athletes with a tie to Iowa, as well as college distance runners who were born in Iowa and who went to a school in Iowa.

Hillary Bor took a big step toward winning the USATF Running Circuit title while claiming the USATF 20K championships record on Monday in New Haven, Conn.

The former Iowa State All-American and two-time Olympian broke away from Kirubel Erassa over the final nine miles in a largely solo effort on an ideal day at the Faxon Law New Haven Road race. Bor clocked a new USATF 20K record of 58 minutes, 9 seconds to take home $9,000 and top Nathan Martin by 17 seconds.

Bor, based in Colorado Springs, Colo., with the HOKA/American Distance Project club, broke the previous 12.4-mile record of 58:30, also set in New Haven, by Matt Tegenkamp in 2012.

"I wanted to test my fitness," Bor told David Monti of Race Results Weekly afterward. "I got accepted for Valencia Half-Marathon (October 27) and I know it's going to be really fast. For me to go run the American record in Valencia Half (sub-59:47), also for me to run 59:30, I knew I needed to run at least 57-something in this course."

Bor, leading off this edition of the WEEKEND UPDATE of the best performances by Iowa-based collegiate and postcollegiate distance runners and triathletes, now owns a five-point lead in the USATF Running Circuit standings over Iowan and former Sioux City North and Iowa Central Community College great Biya Simbassa. Bor, 35, has scored 37 points with just the USATF 10K and 5K events remaining.

Simbassa helped his cause by finishing third in New Haven in 58:29. Simbassa is an Under Armour Dark Sky team member now based in Flagstaff, Ariz., and 2021 USATF Running Circuit champion.

Taking fifth in a great showing by former Iowa collegians was Drake University 5,000 record holder Reed Fischer of the Tinman Elite team. The resident of Westminster, Colo., and adidas athlete ran 59:59.

The women's race was much more competitive, with eventual winner Keira D'Amato pulling away around nine miles to win in 1:06:25, well off her course and championships record of 1:04:29. Placing fourth was former Iowa State All-American Annie Frisbie of the Minnesota Distance Elite team. The Puma athlete now residing in Edina, Minn., ran 1:07:19 after leading through 10K. Frisbie is now tied for third in the women's USATF Running Circuit standings with 39 points, nine behind leader Rachel Smith.

Will return to the roads, but switching now to the start of the college cross country season. Reigning NCAA Division III steeplechase champion Megan Johnson started her Oklahoma career in impressive fashion by leading the Sooners at Oklahoma State's Cowboy Preview on Friday. The graduate student and former Central College and Aplington-Parkersburg athlete toured the 3K (1.8 miles) course in 10:37.7 to place second overall. Freshman San Juanita Leal of Texas A&M was the champion in 10:30.13. Johnson paced the Sooners to a fourth-place team finish with 80 points.

Another transfer also opened in impressive fashion with North Carolina. Max Murphy, a former Big Ten runner-up in the 5,000 and 10,000 for Iowa, was the No. 5 runner for the Tar Heels in a meet at Charlotte's Frank Liske Park on Friday. The former Pleasant Valley prep ran 15:01.7 for 5K to help lead North Carolina to the team title with 24 points. The Tar Heels' leader was runner-up Colton Sands in 14:56.8. Murphy is a graduate student with two seasons of eligbility.

Two former Iowa preps were winners Friday. Former Ames High prep Noah Kohut-Jackson of Minnesota took the victory in the men's 5K race at the Oz Memorial at the Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon Heights, Minn. The graduate student ran 15:56.2 to run a new personal-best time while capturing his first college win. Kohut-Jackson topped Max Westerlund of St. Thomas (Minn.) by 8.6 seconds.

Also posting a victory at the Coyote Classic at The Bluffs Golf Course in Vermillion, S.D., was South Dakota sophomore and former Sibley-Ocheyedan prep Madison Brouwer. Brouwer ran 18:14.23 over the 5K course to win by almost 15 seconds over sophomore teammate Alexis Pagel. Sophomore teammate Moriah Knapp, a former Algona prep, ran 19:31.12 for 15th place.

Opening his college career in impressive fashion was former Sioux City North prep Natnael Kifle. The South Dakota freshman ran the men's 6K in 18:40.10 to place third overall and finish as the second-best Coyotes runner. The winner was South Dakota State freshman Brandon Kampsen in 18:26.36.

Placing second at the St. Norbert's Tom Barry Invitational Saturday morning was former Johnston prep Carter Eckhoff. The Milwaukee junior ran 19:14.32 over the 6K course to lead his team to second with 40 points at the Shorewood Cross Country Course. Noah Jahnke of Wisconsin-Green Bay was the champion in 18:47.76.

Moving back closer to home, where the Iowa State teams hosted the Cyclone Preview Friday at its home course. The Cyclones swept the top six positions and finishing second on Iowa State's team was senior and former Johnston prep Bella Heikes. Heikes ran 17:02.4, a 5:19.8 pace over the 5K course, to finish behind only junior Maelle Porcher (16:58.8). Recent NCAA 3,000 steeplechase third-place finisher Janette Schraft, running unattached, crossed in seventh in 17:15.7. Schraft is a former Glenwood and East Mills prep.

Leading Northern Iowa's effort was senior and former Waverly-Shell Rock prep Emma Hoins. Hoins ran the third-best time in Panther history, a 17:23.1 effort, to place 10th. Iowa State true freshman Keelee Leitzen, a former Dubuque Hempstead prep, was the ninth-best Cyclone in 11th place. Leitzen ran 17:34.0 in her Cyclone debut. Northern Iowa true freshman Meghan Wheatley was the No. 2 runner for the Panthers in 13th place in 17:34.9. Wheatley is a former North Linn prep. Iowa State junior Ashlyn Keeney, a former Liberty High prep from North Liberty, took 20th in 17:47.2. Northern Iowa senior Kate Crawford ran aggressively at the front for the first half of the race before settling for 21st in 17:51.9. Crawford is a former Guthrie Center prep. Northern Iowa redshirt junior and former Ankeny Centennial prep Millie Hill ended up 22nd in 17:57.9. Iowa State true freshman and former Clinton prep Camryn Sattler grabbed 23rd in 17:58.5.

In the men's 6K race, Iowa State senior Quinton Orr finished as the fifth-best Cyclone over the 3.7-mile course after head coach Jeremy Sudbury sat out his top runners. The former Humboldt prep ran 18:32.0 and dove over the line to hold off Northern Iowa's Caleb Shumaker for seventh place. Shumaker, a former Tipton prep, had the same 18:32.0 time for eighth place to lead the Panthers. Northern Iowa sophomore Carson Owens, a former Southeast Polk runner, was 10th in 18:43.7. Iowa State redshirt freshman Allen Bonnessen was the sixth-best Cyclone in 11th in 18:46.2. He is a former Danville prep. Northern Iowa freshman Jackson Bergman took 14th in 19:02.0. He is a former Valley prep. Another Panther freshman, former Washington prep Micah Rees, took 15th in 19:07.6. Northern Iowa sophomore and former Ankeny High prep Levi Hill was 20th in 19:29.4. Senior teammate Brady Griebel, a former Bellevue athlete, was next in 21st in 19:32.3. Iowa State sophomore Devan Kipyego was the winner in 17:38.8 as Iowa State, ranked fifth nationally by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, scored 18 points to easily outdistance Drake by 36 points.

The University of Iowa started its season at the Hawkeye Invite on Friday evening. Fifth-year Iowa senior Amber Aesoph placed seventh in the women's 4K race in 14:30.6. Aesoph is a former Sioux City Heelan prep. Junior teammate and former Iowa City High athlete Rowan Boulter set a new personal-best time of 14:41.5 to take 11th. Iowa graduate student and former Dallas Center-Grimes and Simpson College athlete Lara Kallem ended up 14th in 14:47.7. Iowa junior and former Turkey Valley (Jackson Junction) prep Jalyssa Blazek covered the 2.4-mile distance in 14:51.2 to take 15th. True Iowa freshman Hillary Trainer also broke 15 minutes after placing 17th in 14:58.7. Trainer ran for Sumner-Fredricksburg. The Hawkeye women finished second with 39 points.

Leading the Hawkeye men to a third-place team finish with 75 points was former Dowling Catholic athlete Will Ryan. The Hawkeye junior grabbed 10th place on the 6K course in 18:24.8. True freshman and former state cross country champion Ethan Eichhorn of Council Bluffs Lewis Central was the third-best Hawkeye in 16th place in 18:39.4. Junior teammate and former Keokuk prep Miles Sheppard was next across the line in 17th place in 18:40.7. Iowa junior and former Des Moines Christian prep Carson Houg took 20th in 18:49.8. True Hawkeye freshman and former Johnston prep Jaxson Plumb took 24th in 19:03.7.

At Saturday's George Kyte Classic in Flagstaff, Ariz., Ford Washburn of fourth-ranked (by USTFCCA) Northern Arizona University finished eighth overall. The sophomore academically and former Iowa City High prep standout covered the 4.5-mile run in 22:43.2. Washburn was the No. 6 runner for the Lumberjacks, who won the team race with 18 points.

Moving back to Division I, where former Dowling Catholic prep Tyler Schweizer of Saint Louis University finished ninth at the Mizzou XC Open at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia. The junior ran 18:51.3 in the 6K race to place third among the Billikens.

Former Mid-Prairie (Wellman) athlete Marie Hostetler finished seventh at the Liberty XC Challenge in Lynchburg, Va., on Friday. The Liberty University redshirt senior covered the 4K distance in 14:58.0 to end up as the fifth-best Flames athlete. The winner was Adelyn Fairley of Liberty in 14:42.8.

The second-ranked (by USTFCCA) Wartburg College men opened its season with a mixed lineup at the 28th annual Mustang Gallop hosted by Mount Mercy University Friday. Junior Lance Sobaski captured the race win, fighting off teammate and true freshman Solomon Zaugg at the finish of the 5K race. Sobaski ran 15:26.5, a 4:58.2 pace per mile, to top Zaugg by .4 of a second. Sobaski is a former Washington prep while Zaugg ran for Cedar Rapids Kennedy. The Knights' Jacob Green also was fourth in 15:28.8 to help the Knights win the team crown with 19 points, 35 ahead of Cornell. Green is a junior and former Cedar Rapids Kennedy prep.

The No. 2 runner for the University of Dubuque was senior and former Tri-Center (Neola) prep Joey Wohlers. Wohlers ran 15:53.6 to capture 10th place. Former Wartburg and Northeast (Preston) athlete Wyatt Schmidt, running unattached, was 11th in 15:54.9. Wartburg true freshman Aidan Decker, a former North Liberty athlete, was 12th in 15:55.0. Right behind him was Wartburg freshman Cooper Cook in 15:57.8. Cook ran for Marion. Taking 15th was Cornell junior Gabe Soda in 15:58.8. Soda ran for Madrid. The final runner to break 16 minutes was Wartburg sophomore Rylan Martin, a former New London prep, in 15:58.9.

Wartburg also captured the women's team title with 32 points, 10 ahead of Mount Mercy. The host Mustangs had the individual champion in former Beckman (Dyersville) athlete Abby Knepper. The sophomore ran the 5K in 19:18.3 to win by more than 11 seconds. Running second on the Wartburg team and fourth overall was true freshman and former Hampton-Dumont prep Lydia Maas in 19:36.8. Two other athletes broke 20 minutes: Cornell junior Alyza Koppes and Mount Mercy sophomore Kalin Rotzoll. Koppes was fifth in 19:38.4, with Rotzoll running 19:58.2. Koppes is a former Cedar Rapids Prairie prep while Rotzoll is a transfer from Grand View University and former Clear Creek-Amana prep.

Former Simpson College NCAA 10K champion Spencer Moon returned to the Storm's home course at Pickard Park triumphantly Friday night. Moon, now in the workforce and a Fitness Sports Distance Project athlete, ran the 6K course in 19:12.4 to capture the victory while running for a Simpson Alumni team that finished third in the team race. Moon is a former South Central Calhoun prep. The host Simpson team was paced by junior and runner-up Cole Leggett in 19:30.5. Leggett is a former Urbandale prep. Simpson alum and former Ames prep Ean Warrick grabbed third in 19:56.1. Taking fourth was Storm senior Miles Combs, a former Indianola prep, in 19:58.7. Rounding out the top five was DMACC freshman and former Vinton-Shellsburg prep; Eli Page in 19:59.0. Page was just 1.4 seconds ahead of sophomore teammate and former Ogden prep Jordan King. Simpson won the team race with 33 points, 10 ahead of DMACC.

The women's champion was former Valley prep and Simpson College senior Teghan Booth. Booth covered the 4K course in 16:17.8 to top DMACC's Kayden Spencer by more than 36 seconds. Spencer is a former Ogden prep from Boone who ran 16:54.6. Freshman teammate Grace Collins, a former Johnston prep, took third in 17:15.6. DMACC won the team title with 21 points, 15 ahead of Simpson.

Loras College hosted the inaugural Bob Schultz Invite and former Loras athlete Wyatt Kelly was the champion in the 5K race in 15:16.1. Kelly, a former Hudson prep, won by 1 second. College College senior Lewis Kleman grabbed fifth place in 15:22.7. He is a former Cedar Rapids Washington prep. Former Loras alum Mason Tope, a former Davenport Central star, ran 15:34.0 for ninth. Loras won the team title with 33 points, with Augustana (Ill.) second with 61 and the Loras alums third with 81.

Two Loras alums placed in the top six in the women's 5K competition. Ellie Osterberger, a former Dubuque Wahlert prep, ran 19:14.6 for fourth place. Sister Kaylee was sixth in 19:40.0. The winner was Emma Odle of Augustana (Ill.) in 18:36.9.

St. Ambrose traveled to the twilight Invitational at Channahon Park in Channahon, Ill., on Friday evening and sophomore Kaitlyn Knoche paced the women's team with a 14th-place finish. The former North Scott prep ran 19:30.0. In the men's 5K, former Grand View athlete Sam Mickelson, running for the University of Saint Francis (Ill.) alums, finished eighth overall in the men's 5K race in 15:46.7.

NOTE: This blog will be updated.

MISSING A TOP DISTANCE RUNNER OR TRIATHLETE?: Let me know at bergeson@registermedia.com.

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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Mile posts: Items on Hillary Bor, Biya Simbassa, Megan Johnson, Max Murphy, Noah Kohut-Jackson, Madison Brouwer, Natnael Kifle, Bella Heikes