Kiki Connell named Cyclone Club Athlete of the Week after steeplechase win at Drake Relays

Press Staff Report

AMES — Iowa State senior Kiki Connell has been named the Cyclone Club Athlete of the Week after winning the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase last Thursday (April 24) at the Drake Relays at Drake University in Des Moines.

Connell’s first-place time of 10 minutes, 16.83 seconds shaved nearly a full second off Connell’s previous personal-record set earlier this season which placed her in top five in Cyclone history.

Connell is the second Iowa State woman to win the steeplechase at the Drake Relays — the first was Abby Caldwell in 2021.

Connell had managed to recover from a major leg injury just in time for her final season with the Cyclones.

Connell was a standout student-athlete at Charles City, qualifying for the State T&F Championships three times, including in four events her senior year (2021) while taking second in the 3,000-meter run, third in the 1,500, fourth in the 800, and fifth anchoring for the sprint medley relay.

Connell was also a Drake Relays medalist as a Comet, placing fifth in the 1,500 her sophomore year.

“I’ve been running here for years,” Connell said after winning at Drake. “On the drive here, I said, ‘Blue Oval Magic’ … it’s going to happen.

Also as a Comet, Connell was a medalist and four-time individual state-qualifier in cross country and won the 120-pound title at the 2021 Iowa Girls State Wrestling Championships.