Mile posts: Items on Mike Jasa, Wesley Kiptoo, Peter Smith, Zakiyah Amos, Brooke Mullins, Isaac Basten, Rivaldo Marshall, Payton Mauldin

Indoor track and field is back in earnest and so is this blog after a short hiatus over the Christmas break. And Iowa athletes and teams gave plenty of standout efforts worthy of mention for this edition of the WEEKEND UPDATE of the best performances by Iowa-based collegiate and postcollegiate distance runners and triathletes last weekend.

Let's start with the an historic effort from Loras College senior Mike Jasa at St. Ambrose University's Battle in the Hive on Saturday. The former Cedar Rapids Prairie prep and 2021 NCAA champion in the 800 meters outdoors ran the second-fastest time ever at the NCAA Division III level for the 600 meters. Jasa ran 1:18.67 to fall just .07 of a second behind Claremont-Mudd-Scripps athlete Ben Scheetz's time in 2012.

Jasa was named the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Athlete of the Week in Division III for his effort in Davenport.

Jasa also ran anchor on a 4x400-meter relay team that won in 3:20.14 that, if converted to a 3:17.00 on a banked track, would be the fourth-fastest time in Division III this season.

Will return to indoor track, but first there were some notable performances at Sunday's Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon in Texas. Former Iowa State NCAA indoor 5,000 champion Wesley Kiptoo lost a late sprint against Ethiopian Leul Gebresilase Aleme in the 13.1-mile race. Kiptoo owned a slight lead heading to the finish line, but couldn't fight off Aleme in the final meters, with Aleme winning in 1:00:34 and Kiptoo just .34 of a second back in 1:00:35. Kiptoo is a Northern Arizona Elite athlete with a victory in the Portland Track Festival 10,000 meters last summer on his resume as well as several other top-10 finishes in national road races. Aleme was runner-up at the London Marathon in October.

Iowa native and former IAAF world champion in the 1,500 meters Jenny Simpson finished ninth in her half marathon debut. Simpson, now in Boulder, Colo., ran 1:10:35. The winner was Hiwot Gebremaryam in 1:06:28.

In the marathon, former Iowa resident Stan Linton finished 20th overall. The resident of Memphis, Tenn., ran 2:21:43. Former University of Iowa student Brooke Slayman of Solon finished 53rd among the women in 2:53:08.

In the 5K race, former Johnston High and Iowa Central Community College standout Tyson Wieland took runner-up honors. The Runablaze Iowa athlete covered the 3.1-mile distance in 15:38 to finish 36 seconds behind the winner.

Back to indoor track and the two-day Graduate Classic hosted by Nebraska in Lincoln on Friday and Saturday. Iowa State junior Peter Smith ran to the 10th-best time in Cyclone history by winning the 1,000 meters in 2 minutes, 22.89 seconds on Friday. Smith edged Brett Meyer of Tracksmith by .11 of a second to lead a Cyclone 1-3-4 finish. Following Smith in Cyclone cardinal and gold were freshman Emanuel Galdino in third place in 2:23.77 and senior Nehemia Too in fourth in 2:25.80.

One place back was former St. Ansgar prep Riley Witt, who shattered Northwest Missouri State's school record by nearly three seconds by running 2:25.93. Witt is just a freshman.

Iowa State on Saturday notched two more impressive victories, with senior Zakiyah Amos repeating as meet champion in the 600 meters by running 1:32.47. Amost topped Ally Ryan of Kansas City by 1.39 seconds. Finishing fifth for Northwest Missouri State was former Indianola High prep Bailey Blake. The sophomore ran 1:37.48.

Senior Jason Gomez made it a sweep of the 600 races for Iowa State by winning the race in a new personal-best time of 1:17.83. He was followed by sophomore Darius Kipyego in second in a new best of 1:18.34.

Drake University brought its pair of distance standouts, Brooke Mullins and Isaac Basten, to Lincoln and both impressed. Mullins moved into fifth in the Bulldogs' all-time indoor record book with a winning time of 4:51.02 in the women's mile. That time is a best for Mullins, a junior from Queensland, Australia. Drake sophomore Emilie Meyer finished third in 4:57.43. Former Cedar Falls High prep Caroline Cunningham, now in her final season with Northwest Missouri State, dropped down in distance to the mile and placed fourth in 4:58.23. Iowa State freshman Halle Mestery placed fifth in 4:59.66 while fellow Cyclone freshman Kaylee Tobaben was seventh in 5:03.00.

Basten, a junior from Buffalo, Minn., and a reigning NCAA All-American in the 1,500 meters, dropped down to the 800 and ran the third-best time in Bulldogs history. Basten clocked 1:50.77 to take runner-up honors. Too placed third for Iowa State in 1:50.87. The winner was Nebraska-Kearney's Wes Ferguson in 1:49.97.

Ferguson also won the mile in 4:13.92, in a race where Northwest Missouri's Reece Smith took runner-up honors in 4:14.06. Smith, the reigning NCAA Division II steeplechase champion, is a former Garner-Hayfield-Ventura prep.

Drake sophomore Enzo Marie, a native of France, moved into 10th in school history in the 5,000 meters with a winning time of 14:43.19. Marie won by nearly 12 seconds. Teammate Connor Visnic, a junior, captured third in 14:55.78.

Indian Hills sophomore Rivaldo Marshall made a statement by setting a new school record in a thrilling 600 meters in 1:17.94. Marshall, the NJCAA all-time record setter in the 800 meters, knocked .62 of a second off his previous school mark. That time by the native of Kingston, Jamaica, is the ninth-best effort in NJCAA history. Marshall also led the Warriors' 4x400 relay to a new school record and victory in 3:12.56.

Indian Hills freshman Tyrice Taylor made it a 1-2 in the 600 meters with an effort of 1:18.92. Iowa sophomore Antonio Abrego rounded out the top three in 1:18.98. Indian Hills freshman Mohammed Al-Yafaee placed fourth in 1:20.11, with Iowa sophomore Martin Strong fifth in 1:20.29. The next two finishers were freshmen. Northern Iowa's Micaiah Ellis was sixth in 1:20.54, followed by Hawkeyes' Brett Wasick in seventh place in 1:20.93.

Iowa senior Emma Gordon, a former Ankeny Centennial prep, placed sixth in the women's mile in 5:00.21. Emma Hoins, a former Hawkeye Community College athlete now running for Northern Iowa, grabbed seventh in 5:03.30. Hoins is a former Waverly-Shell Rock prep and a sophomore for the Panthers. The top 10 also included Iowa sophomore Abby Ryon in ninth in 5:04.09 and Hawkeye sophomore Kelli Tosic in 10th in 5:04.27. Ryon is a former Mount Pleasant prep. The winning time was Bradley's Sophia McDonnell in 4:54.42.

Former Southeast Polk standout Drake Hanson produced a strong fifth-place effort in the men's premier mile. The Northern Iowa sophomore placed fifth in 4:12.66. Iowa's Konnor Sommer, a former Pleasant Valley prep and a senior, was eighth in 4:14.35.

Iowa sophomore Alli Bookin-Nosbisch ran under the meet record while finishing runner-up in the women's 600 meters in 1:30.02. The former Ottumwa High prep standout was just .24 of a second behind Bradley's Wilma Nielsen. Sophomore teammate Clare Pitcher was third in 1:31.20.

Northern Iowa senior Paige Holub ran a new career best in the 800 meters indoors by clocking 2:16.70 and placing second. Holub is a former Monticello prep.

Former Linn-Mar prep Ryan Murphy placed 12th in the men's mile at the Arkansas Invitational, but the Razorback senior's time was a fine 4:06.79 effort. The winner was Arkansas teammate Lexington Hilton in 3:58.70.

Arkansas freshman Ainsley Erzen made an impressive debut for the Razorbacks by placing sixth in a loaded women's 600. Erzen, the Iowa state champion in the 800 and 1,500 for Carlisle last spring, ran 1:32.10. Former Olympian Shamier Little was the winner in 1:24.65.

At the Virginia Tech Invitational, former Iowa State runner Ryan Ford picked up the victory in the 3,000 meters while running for Zap Endurance. Ford was timed in 8:05.09. Former Iowa Western star and current Liberty University sophomore Nicholas Kiprotich took seventh in 8:23.64.

In the women's 3,000, former Mid-Prairie prep star Marie Hostetler finished seventh for Liberty in 9:56.19. The winning time was 9:23.71 by Wake Forest's Mackenna Curtis-Collins.

Two former Iowa Central stars finished in the top five of the women's mile at the Corky Classic hosted by Texas Tech on Friday and Saturday. Eleonora Curtabbi, the reigning NCAA Division II steeplechase champion and West Texas A&M junior, was third in 4:55.40. Junior teammate Florance Uwajeneza placed fifth in 5:03.54. The winning time was 4:41.91 by ON Running's Alicja Konieczek.

Illinois State freshman Mattison Plummer made a big splash by taking two victories in the Coughlan-Malloy Cup, a dual against Indiana State, at the Horton Field House in Normal. The former Southeast Polk standout ran 2:17.27 to win the 800 meters by .52 of a second over a teammate. Plummer also won the mile in 5:11.40 by nearly three seconds over a teammate.

South Dakota State ran in Fargo, N.D., at the Bison Cup and former Sioux City North prep star Will Lohr ran to a runner-up finish in the men's mile. The freshman ran 4:17.72 to trail only teammate Carter Knaus by 2.07 seconds.

South Dakota hosted its South Dakota Kickoff meet at the DakotaDome and former Maple Valley-Anthon-Oto prep Dylan Blake grabbed the victory in the 600 meters in 1:22.94. Blake is a junior.

Dordt University junior Payton Mauldin ran the third-best time in school history for the 600 meters while taking a victory at the Dordt Indoor Open at the Dordt Recreation Center. The former George-Little Rock prep met the 'A' standard again by running 1:19.23.

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 Mike Jasa, Wesley Kiptoo, Peter Smith, Zakiyah Amos, Brooke Mullins, Isaac Basten, Rivaldo Marshall, Payton Mauldin