Iowa state cross country facilities

ISU Cross Country Course

Iowa State University is one of only a handful of institutions in the country to have its own fully dedicated cross country course located on its campus, allowing Cyclone distance runners a significant training advantage.

Iowa State dedicated its Cross Country Course in October of 1995 as the nation’s first course designed exclusively for competitive cross country racing. The University showcased the course to a national audience by hosting the 1995 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. Since then, the course has hosted the 2000 NCAA Championships, the 1996, 2008, 2018 and 2023 Big 12 Championships and the 1997, 2013 and 2017 NCAA Midwest Cross Country Regionals.

The athletics program invested nearly $1 million in course improvements including irrigating the entire course and creating a permanent finish line structure with two large grass berms that provide spectators incredible views of the finish area. The irrigation system allows the department’s staff to maintain the running surface at a championship level throughout the season. Ultimately, the course is an appropriate ground on which to test the nation's best runners. It is a home worthy of Iowa State cross country programs that have won multiple conference and national championships.

Lied recreation Athletic center

The Iowa State cross country team also has access to one of the country's finest indoor track and field facilities. Iowa State’s $13 million Lied Recreation Athletic Facility complements the Cyclones’ outdoor track complex. The combination gives Cyclones track athletes first-rate, year-round practice facilities. The Lied Recreation-Athletic Facility has hosted the 1998, 2000, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2022 Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Lied Recreation athletic Center video tour

Cyclone Sports Complex

The Cyclone Sports Complex has been the outdoor home to Iowa State track and field since it opened in 2012. The $13 million facility features the Bill and Karen Bergan eight-lane track, four long jump and triple jump runways, two pole vault areas and 3.5 acres of throws space. It also has locker rooms and an athletic training room.

The track is named after the legendary former Iowa State coach Bill Bergan and his wife Karen. Bergan won two national titles while coaching the Cyclones.

STARK PERFORMANCE CENTER

Opened in August 2021, the $90 million, 100,000-square foot Stark Performance Center includes multiple spaces for use for all Iowa State student-athletes.

ROD & CONNIE FRENCH STUDENT-ATHLETE SUCCESS CENTER

The Rod and Connie French Student-Athlete Success Center is located in the Stark Performance Center. The center provides academic counseling, tutoring centers, a resource library, computer labs, individual and group study rooms among other valuable assets.