Mile posts: Items on Sammy Rotich, Emma Huston, Kassie Parker, Christopher Collet, Spencer Moon, Caroline Cunningham, Dillon Grover

Road racing or college cross country? College cross country or road racing?

The choice to lead off this edition of the WEEKEND UPDATE of the best performances by Iowa-based collegiate and postcollegiate distance runners and triathletes was a difficult choice. Several athletes turned in outstanding performances on the grass of golf and cross country courses last weekend, but the IMT Des Moines Marathon gets the nod because it comes around once a year. And it's likely the final big road race of the season while college cross country will dominate the next month.

And the 21st annual race Sunday at Court Avenue delivered on a grand scale. Former West Des Moines resident Sammy Rotich cruised to victory, an elusive first at this event, in 2 hours, 19 minutes, 28 seconds to take home $2,500 for the win and $1,000 for a bonus for running under 2:20.

"My dream is to win a big race like the Des Moines Marathon. One of my dreams came today," Rotich told me. "This means a lot to me. I feel like I won a home race."

Rotich, a Dam to Dam winner in 2014 and 2018, finished more than five minutes ahead of rnner-up Vincent Toroitich.

Former Cedar Falls High and Luther College athlete Sam Schillinger was the top Iowa native in fifth place overall. Schillinger won the 20-24 age division in 2:29:44. Former Western Dubuque and Loras athlete Ethan Hammerand finished in sixth, just 46 seconds behind Schillinger. Hammerand is a Runablaze Iowa athlete.

The women's winner was Ethiopia's Damaris Areba, 27, in 2:32:33. The top Iowa resident was former Iowa City West prep and University of Iowa athlete Gabby Skopec in fifth in 2:59:20. Skopec was the champion in the 20-24 age group. Fellow Iowan Meredith Anderson was 10th overall among the women in 3:10:42 while Kristin Kahn of Newton ended up 11th in 3:12:05.

Former Drake University and Des Moines Roosevelt star Emma Huston erased a nine-year-old record in the women's half marathon. The Des Moines resident took down Jane Murage's 1:14:19 record by crossing the finish line in 1:13:48. Huston, 28, was a winner by 3:09 over Polina Hodnette.

"Breaking the record and setting the No. 2 time in Iowa history was completely unexpected," Huston, 28, said. "My goal going in was 1:15 so I was very excited to see a 1:13 when I got to the finish line. It really means a lot to have my name in the record books like that. I couldn't be happier!"

Huston, 28, now trails only former University of Iowa All-American Diane Nukuri's 1:13:17 time for the Iowa all-time half marathon record. Huston, the IMT women's marathon runner-up last year, already owns the Iowa all-time 10-mile record of 57:19 set last month at Capital Pursuit.

Defending champion Samantha Wingert, 35, of Cedar Falls settled for third place in 1:18:24. She was the first of five Runablaze athletes in the next six. The one who wasn't, former Iowa athlete Andrea Shine, took fourth in 1:18:35.

Former Grandma's Marathon champion Pasca Myers of Ames finished fourth in 1:20:47. Former Boone High star Danna Herrick of Norwalk was one second back of Myers in fifth place in 1:20:48. Former Waukon prep and Simpson College runner Sarah Bakula of Fort Atkinson grabbed seventh in 1:20:54. Elaina Biechler took eighth in 1:21:23. Biechler is a former Coe College athlete living in Dubuque. All are Runablaze athletes. Nikki Borner was next in ninth place in 1:22:24. Professional triathlete Jessica Smith of Clive was the top masters (40 and over) athlete in 12th place in 1:25:34.

Runablaze Iowa took six of the top seven spots in the men's half marathon. Blake Whalen of Des Moines captured his first IMT title. The former Dubuque Senior and Iowa Central Community College runner pulled away from regular training partner Cody Baele over the final 5K to win in a new best of 1:04:43. Baele was another 15 seconds back in a new best time. Kallin Carolus Khan of Iowa City produced the second-best half marathon of his career while running 1:08:04 for fourth. Tyler Lance of Algona was fifth in 1:09:00 while former Dowling Catholic prep Jason Thomas grabbed sixth in 1:09:23. The final Runablaze athlete in the top seven was former Johnston High and Iowa Central athlete Tyson Wieland in 1:09:38.

Finishing eighth overall and becoming the first Iowa masters runner ever to break 1:10 was Ean Caskey of Lisbon. Caskey, 41, ran 1:09:43 and topped the previous Iowa roads record of 1:11:42 set by Cedar Falls' Scott Gall, 40, at Park to Park in 2015. Caskey also took 1:12 off the IMT half marathon record of 1:10:53 set by Keith Mulhollon in 2011. Caskey, a former Iowa Conference champion at Cornell College, has set Iowa all-time masters records this year in the 5K, 8K, 10-mile and half marathon distances.

Read much more about the IMT Des Moines Marathon races here: https://tinyurl.com/2p9taa8c

Turning now to college cross country, where Loras College graduate student Kassie Parker produced a program record 20:00.1 on the 6K course at the flat and fast Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island, Ill., to help the Duhawks finish sixth in team race. Parker was named national runner of the week for NCAA Division III by the USTFCCA for her feat at the Augustana Interregional Saturday. She is a former Clayton Ridge prep. Senior teammate Brianna Renner was 32nd in a new best of 22:12.7, which is fifth in team history.

The Wartburg College women were second to the University of Chicago, 54-57, in the team race behind a runner-up finish in 6K from former AGWSR prep Aubrie Fisher. Fisher, a junior, ran 20:48.4 for the second-fastest time in program history. Many other Knights excelled, with sophomore Ellie Meyer ninth in 21:35.7, sophomore Lexi Brown 13th in 21:41.4, sophomore Shaelyn Hostager 16th in 21:44.8 and senior Riley Mayer, 17th in 21:45.6. Meyer ran for Iowa Falls-Alden. Brown competed for New London. Hostager ran for Dubuque Hempstead. Mayer prepped at Fort Dodge St. Edmond.

Central College's Caroline McMartin set a new Dutch school record in the 6K at Augustana. The junior ran 21:50.8. She is a former Pella athlete. The previous record was Beth Cunningham's 21:53 set in Davenport in 2004.

Christopher Collet of Wartburg College won another race this season, taking the 8K at the Augustana Interregional 8K. Collet, a junior, ran 23:47.5 to win by 1.7 seconds. Teammate Connor Lancial, an ex-Council Bluffs Lewis Central athlete, was 12th in 24:08.5. Morgan Shirley-Fairbairn was 18th in 24:16.4. The final Knights scorers were junior Jacob Green in 28th in 24:28.3 and sophomore Sam Schmitz in 31st in 24:30.5. Green ran for Cedar Rapids JFK and Schmitz is a former Johnston prep. The Knights finished third in the team race with 84 points, beaten only by Pomona Pitzer (48) and North Central College (69).

A second Central College record was broken by junior Noah Jorgenson, a former Sydney of Southwest athlete. He ran 24:27.4 for 27th place. He broke a 39-year-old mark of 24:33 set by Pete Anderson. Teammate Caleb Silver, a former BCLUW of Conrad athlete, was next for the Dutch in 52nd place in 24:51.5. Central was 11th in the team race.

Loras senior Luke Guttormson ran 24:29.8 to place 30th overall. He topped a 19-year-old school record of 24:33 by Marcus Murphy. Senior Wyatt Kelly, a former Hudson prep, was 37th in 24:35.3. He is third in the Loras record books now. Only four Duhawks ran in the varsity race.

Simpson College's Spencer Moon produced an impressive win at the Platte River Rumble in Omaha, Neb., co-hosted by Creighton and Omaha on Friday. The former South Central Calhoun prep set a new school record of 23:34.2 for 8K to defeat runners from such programs as Division I South Dakota, Division II Northwest Missouri State, Nebraska-Kearney and Augustana University at the Olsson Cross Country Course at Mahoney State Park in Ashland, Neb.

One of those in the top 10 was former Sioux City North great Merga Gemeda of South Dakota in fifth. Gemeda ran 23:59.0. Not far behind was former Center Point-Urbana prep and current Kearney athlete Myles Bach. He was the No. 3 runner on the Lopes in 24:06.2 and helped them win the team title with 42 points, five ahead of Augustana.

Also in the 8K, Iowa Western freshman Jacinto Gaspar was 10th in 24:19.1, Will Lohr of South Dakota State and running unattached was 20th in 24:57.1 and Buena Vista University's Kyle Miller, a former Carlisle prep, in 27th in 25:05.3. Lohr is a former Sioux City North prep.

Northwest Missouri State's Caroline Cunningham set a new school record while winning the women's 6K title. The former Cedar Falls prep took the win in 20:42.2. The senior also owns the school record in the 5K. Continuing her outstanding freshman campaign was former Valley High star Kamryn Ensley. The Omaha athlete finished runner-up in 21:02.4. The Clive native was just about five seconds off her school record. Her running helped the Mavericks continue their program surge with a fourth-place finish with 88 points.

Iowa Western finished eighth in the team race behind sophomore standout Mercy Biwott, who was fourth in 21:11.1. Former Valley High prep Helen Gould also was 15th in 22:02.8 for South Dakota, which finished third in team race with 86 points.

The Iowa State teams faced many of the best teams in the country at Friday's Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational and the result showed. The 11th-ranked (by U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Association) Cyclone men finished 22nd in the team race with 543 points, with junior Ezekiel Rop leading the way in the 8K race in 55th place in 23:48.7. Rop improved eight seconds from his time of a year ago. Sophomore and former George-Little Rock prep Gable Sieperda was in Rop's shadow, finishing just .5 of a second behind but in 58th place. Senior Chad Johnson was the next Cyclone across the line in 113th place in 24:08.7. The final Iowa State scorers were senior and Southern Indiana transfer Titus Winders (144th, 24:21.5) and former Ankeny High product and sophomore Timothy Sindt (180th, 24:36.8).

Notre Dame, the top men's team in the Great Lakes Region nationally, finished fifth with 186 points and former Dowling Catholic star Matthew Carmody was the No. 6 runner for the Irish. Carmody, a junior, finished 126th in 24:13.3.

Former Iowa Central standout Awet Johannes finished 153rd. The New Mexico senior ran 24:25.0. Former Ames High athlete Noah Kohut-Jackson was the No. 2 runner for the Minnesota men. The sophomore ran 24:47.0 for 191st.

Stanford was the team champion with 54 points, well ahead of BYU (89) and defending national champion Northern Arizona (145).

The Cyclone women faced an even taller task, going up against 24 teams ranked in the USTFCCA's top 30. Iowa State finished 27th in 631 points, with senior Dana Feyen returning to her home state and finishing 56th in the 6K race in 20:34.6. Feyen dropped 21 seconds from her time a yar ago. Fellow junior Madelynn Hill was next in 82nd in 20:46.5. She improved 34 seconds from last year on the Zimmer Championships Course. Sophomore Brenna Cohoon chopped 37 seconds from last year by finishing 140th in 21:06.8. The final scorers were Iowans: former Charles City prep Kiki Connell, a sophomore, was 172nd in 21:22.2 and Janette Schraft, a junior and former Glenwood prep, took 192nd in 21:32.7.

Former Iowa Western star Faith Linga of Toledo finished 70th in the 6K. The junior ran 20:39.2 as the Rockets beat 13 nationally ranked teams to finish 12th overall. They are led by former Iowa State coach Andrea Grove-McDonough.

N.C. State and New Mexico tied for the team title with 80 points, with the Wolfpack earning the tiebreaker.

Iowa and Liberty were among the teams at the Weis-Crockett Invitational at the Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course in Stillwater, Okla. Junior Nick Trattner led the way for the 17th-place Hawkeyes in 39th place in 24:25.0. Freshman Max Murphy, a former Pleasant Valley prep, was 65th in 24:42.9. True freshman Miles Sheppard grabbed 104th in 25:09.7. He is from Keokuk. Konnor Sommer, a senior and former Pleasant Valley prep, took 109th in 25:13.8. The final scorer was true freshman Hayden Kuhn in 137th in 25:28.3. He is a former Linn-Mar athlete.

Former Iowa Western star Nicholas Kiprotich of Liberty finished 27th in 24:10.2. He is sophomore with the Flames, who were 11th in the team race.

The Iowa women also were 17th and senior Emma Gordon led the Hawkeyes in 33rd place in 21:33.5. Gordon is a former Ankeny Centennial prep. Sophomore Brooke McKee, a former Johnston High runner, was 79th in 22:10.4. Sophomore Kelli Tosic was 90th in 22:18.2. Former Sioux City Heelan prep Amber Aesoph ended up 124th in 22:44.0.

Sisters Anna Hostetler and Marie Hostetler finished 30th and 68th for Liberty. Anna, a senior, ran 21:30.6. Marie, a sophomore, ran 22:01.7. Both ran for Mid-Prairie. Liberty was a strong fourth in the team race with 182 points.

Peoria, Ill., was the site for the Bradley Pink Classic on Friday and Brooke Mullins paced Drake in the Women's Red 6K in ninth place. The sophomore ran 20:29.5. Fellow sophomores Tyla Lumley and Emilie Meyer were 36th in 21:14.5 and 58th in 21:37.9.

Leading the way for the Northern Iowa women and finishing in the top 100 was former Waverly-Shell Rock and Hawkeye Community College standout Emma Hoins in 85th place in 21:55.0. She is a sophomore.

In the men's Red 8K, Pur Biel led Drake in 83rd place in 24:43.7 while breaking 25 minutes for the first time. He is a former Iowa Central standout. Teammate Aziz Jdai had a stomach bug and did not finish, according to Drake sports information. The Bulldogs were 31st.

Also in the Men's Red 8K, former Waukee High prep Morey Smith of Clive led St. Thomas in 76th place in 24:40.2. Smith is a junior. St. Thomas was 14th in the team race.

Iowa Central sophomore Aspel Kiprob claimed victory and led the Tritons to a runner-up finish at the Jim Drews/Tori Neubauer Invitational in West Salem, Wis., on Saturday. Kiprob edged Augsburg's Mohammed Bati at the finish line by .1 of a second after running 24:25.9. Sophomore teammate Yared Kidane grabbed fourth place in 24:47.3, followed by another sophomore, Zander Cobb, in ninth in 24:53.4. Freshman Ayenew Devany placed 12th in 25:07.5, but the final scorer came in 23rd place. That was freshman Will Sacay in 23rd place in 25:37.3.

Host Wisconsin-La Crosse won the title, 42-49, and was assisted by No. 4 runner Parker Huhn. The former Pleasant Valley prep and junior grabbed 11th place in 24:59.6.

Seventh-place Luther was buoyed by the 1-2 punch of seniors Ian Kelly and Tom Altier. Kelly grabbed eighth place in 24:51.6 while Altier, a former Johnston High runner, was 15th in 25:21.9.

Sophomore Chloe Garcia Grafing paced the Iowa Central women in 17th place in the 6K race in 22:59.90. The Tritons didn't have enough runners for a team. Luther was 18th.

Ten men's teams showed up at the fourth annual Indian Hills Invitational at Cedar Creek Golf Course in Ottumwa on Friday and Graceland's Dillon Grover stole the show. The junior stormed to the victory in the 8K in 24:24.7, an effort that earned him the USTFCCA's national athlete of the week honor. He helped the Yellowjackets finish fifth in the team race.

Indian Hills sophomore Brady Millikin was second in 25:14.2, producing the best finish by a Warriors runner in this event. Millikin is a former Pekin athlete from Hedrick. Hawkeye Community College grabbed the next two spots with sophomore D'Artagnon Beaver (26:18.4) and freshman Brennan Sauser (26:29.9). Sauser is a former Oelwein prep.

Graceland was the women's champion with 37 points behind the Perkins sisters, seniors Ashlynn and Keagan. Ashlynn was first in the 5K race in 19:11.4, with Keagan second in 19:29.2. Runner-up Southeastern was paced by freshman Aisha Ramone in third in 19:30.9. DMACC had sophomore Natalia Segura finish fourth in 19:41.4. Segura is a former Dallas Center-Grimes runner.

The West Texas A&M teams opted to go to the New Mexico Junior College Cross Country Invitational II and former Iowa Central standout Eleonora Curtabbi captured the individual title in the low-key, six-team meet. The senior triumphed for the first time in Buff uniform after running 17:53.9 in the women's 5K race. Curtabbi, the reigning NCAA Division II steeplechase national champion, won by 11.7 seconds over El Paso Community College's Faith Nyathi. West Texas A&M sat out senior standout Florance Uwajeneza, another former Triton, but still captured the team title with 30 points, 13 ahead of host New Mexico JC.

The West Texas men finished third with 59 points and senior Noah Bundrock, another former Iowa Central runner, was the No. 2 runner for the Buffs in ninth place in 24:38.1 in the 8K race. The Buffs also sat out their top runner, senior Innocent Murwanashyaka, who is another former Triton star. New Mexico JC was the team champion with 29 points.

Jalen Elwell led the Western Carolina men for the second consecutive meet at the Upstate Invitational at the Milliken Research Center in Spartanburg, S.C., on Saturday. The senior finished ninth in the 8K race in 25:19.80. Elwell is a former Ankeny High prep. The Catamounts finished fourth in the team race.

Finishing now with the roads, where former Iowa resident and Runablaze athlete Stan Linton finished third overall in the Columbus Marathon on Sunday in Ohio. The resident now of Memphis, Tenn., covered the distance in 2:19:40, not far off the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials standard of 2:18. The winner was Kristoffer Mugrage of Alamosa, Colo., in 2:16:11.

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

Want to hear more about distance running in Iowa. Listen to my podcast here: https://anchor.fm/lance-bergeson8

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Mile posts: Items on Sammy Rotich, Emma Huston, Kassie Parker, Christopher Collet, Spencer Moon, Caroline Cunningham, Dillon Grover