Mile posts: Items on Megan Johnson, Janette Schraft, Paityn Noe, Betsy Saina, Annie Frisbie, Mattison Plummer, Spencer Moon

Central College junior Megan Johnson had a weekend to remember in Lincoln, Neb.

The former Aplington-Parkersburg prep picked up American Rivers Conference Most Valuable Track Performer honors after capturing two titles and finishing runner-up in another to score 28 of the third-place Dutch's 165.5 points. Johnson leads off this edition of the WEEKEND UPDATE of the best performances by Iowa-based collegiate and postcollegiate distance runners and triathletes.

Johnson started her grueling weekend of almost 24 laps around the Nebraska Wesleyan track by taking the 3,000-meter steeplechase Friday in a new ARC record 10 minutes, 21.93 seconds. Johnson topped junior teammate and former Pella prep Caroline McMartin by 2.91 seconds.

Johnson returned Saturday for the third running event of the day, the 1,500 final. McMartin got the better of Johnson in this race, running a new best of 4:29.24 to edge Johnson by 1.14 seconds. Johnson came back to the track about two hours later and finished with a dominant performance, claiming the 5,000 in 17:09.13 and winning by more than 10 seconds over Wartburg College senior Lexi Brown, a former New London prep.

Will return for much more on the ARC meet, but turning to a rainy and storm-filled Big 12 Conference meet hosted by Baylor in Waco, Texas. Iowa State senior Janette Schraft stepped to the top step of the podium after three bronzes in the 3,000 steeplechase on Friday. The former Glenwood and East Mills prep stormed to an easy victory in 9:58.75, nearly topping Olympian Emma Coburn's Big 12 record of 9:56.53 set in 2010. Schraft did set a new facility record while becoming the first Cyclone to win the event. BYU sophomore Taylor Lovell was a distant second in 10:08.63.

The Cyclones' success from Iowans continued in the men's 3,000 steeplechase. Iowa State senior Gable Sieperda ran under the stadium record while notching a third-place finish in the final Friday in 8:33.83. Sieperda is a former Central Lyon-GLR prep who has already gained the standard for the upcoming U.S. Olympic Trials. In sixth was junior teammate and former Humboldt prep Quinton Orr in 8:48.88. The winner was BYU's James Corrigan in 8:29.24.

Will have more on the Big 12 meet, but the Southeastern Conference championships in Gainesville, Fla., featured another stellar performance by Arkansas true freshman Paityn Noe. The Iowa all-time record holder for 5,000 meters moved up over the second half of the 10,000 final Thursday to take the silver medal and second place for Arkansas. The former Ballard (Huxley) great ran 33:57.35 to trail only Alabama standout Hilda Olemomoi, a former Iowa Western star. Olemomoi ran 33:47.19.

Former Dowling Catholic prep Kelsey Schweizer earned her first all-conference outdoor honor in the 800 by taking sixth on Saturday. The Missouri senior ran a new best of 2:03.93, which ranks second in Tigers program history. On Thursday, Schweizer earned an at-large berth to the final after running 2:05.16, which had been her best for the distance.

Shifting to the roads, where two former Iowa State greats dueled over 15.5 miles at the USATF 25K Championships on Saturday in Grand Rapids, Mich. Defending champion Betsy Saina made a definitive move with 5K to go, pulling away from Annie Frisbie while setting a new american record of 1:22.31.7. That time is four seconds ahead of Shalane Flanagan's mark set in Berlin in September of 2014.

Saina, fifth at the Tokyo Marathon this spring, picked up a payday of $10,000 for the win and another $5,000 for breaking the American record.

“I’m going to continue racing in Grand Rapids until I retire. It is a special place for me,” Saina, an Asics athlete, told reporters after the race.

Saina and Frisbie, a Minnesota Distance Elite athlete, broke away from the pack of runners at about 5K and Frisbie took the lead for most of the next 15K before Saina made her decisive move. Frisbie ran 1:22.36.3 to easily take second place by more than 30 seconds over her MDE teammate, Dakotah Lindwurm.

In the men's 25K, former Sioux City North and Iowa Central Community College star Biya Simbassa took third in 1:01:43. Simbassa, the 2021 USATF series champion, is a Under Armour Dark Sky athlete based in Flagstaff, Ariz. Finishing in 13th in the race hosted by the Amway River Bank Run was former Iowa State runner Tyler Jermann. The MDE athlete ran 1:06:19. David Estrada surged over the final kilometers to take the victory in a new American record in 1:1:13:10.

Returning to college track and the Missouri Valley Conference Championships hosted by Indiana State in Terre Haute. Illinois State junior Mattison Plummer had a tremendous weekend. The former Southeast Polk prep captured runner-up honors in the 3,000 steeplechase Saturday in 10:20.16. Plummer trailed only Southern Illinois' Rachel Anderson, who set a new facility record of 10:14.23. Northern Iowa junior Emma Hoins earned all-conference award by placing fourth in 10:32.44. Hoins is a former Waverly-Shell Rock prep and Hawkeye Community College athlete. Junior teammate Millie Hill, a former Ankeny Centennial prep, set a new best of 10:47.74 while taking fifth and her first all-MVC honor.

Then, in the 1,500 final, Plummer notched a third-place finish in a new best of 4:24.45. Bradley's Julia Nielsen claimed victory in a new facility record of 4:21.89. Plummer had qualified for the final with the second-best time, 4:30.79, in the prelims Friday.

Northern Iowa junior Kate Crawford also captured her best finish in an MVC outdoor meet. The former Guthrie Center prep took fifth in the 10,000 final Friday in 35:47.35. Crawford nearly missed scoring in the 5,000 final Sunday after crossing ninth in 17:25.04.

Scoring a point for Drake in the men's 10,000 was redshirt freshman Aidan Ramsey. The former Dallas Center-Grimes prep ran 30:09.66 for eighth. Carter Cheeseman of Belmont set a new facility record of 29:47.85. Ramsey improved on that performance in the 5,000 final Sunday, taking fifth in 14:27.57 and scoring four points for the Bulldogs' cause. Cheeseman again was the winner, this time in 14:20.23.

Northern Iowa freshman Carson Owens also signaled great things to come by earning all-conference honors in his first try. The former Southeast Polk prep ran the 3,000 steeplechase Saturday in 9:14.28 for eighth. The winner was Belmont's Kevin Vanderkolk in 8:52.40

Now, the Big Ten championships hosted by Michigan in Ann Arbor. Iowa graduate student and former Ottumwa High standout Alli Bookin-Nosbisch matched her Big Ten indoor performance of third place in the 800 final Sunday. In her fourth year of competition, Bookin-Nosbisch ran 2:04.98 in a race won by Penn State's Hayley Kitching in 2:02.54. Bookin-Nosbisch had run the fourth-best time in the prelims on Saturday, a 2:06.29 effort.

Iowa sophomore Will Ryan narrowly missed scoring a point for the Hawkeyes in the 5,000 final Sunday. The former Dowling Catholic athlete ran 14:25.47 for ninth. Freshman teammate Hayden Kuhn, a former Linn-Mar (Marion) prep, was next in a new personal-best time of 14:28.41. Skylar Stidam of Indiana was the winner in 13:56.43.

Shifting back to the Big 12 event, where two former Iowa preps scored all-conference results by while boosting Iowa State. Sophomore and former Johnston prep Bella Heikes set a new best for 1,500 while placing eighth in 4:17.56 in the final Saturday. That time moved Heikes up to No. 4 in program history. She had run 4:19.44 in the prelims, a time that had put her at sixth best in Cyclone history. The Cyclone women finished eighth with 50 points.

Also Thursday, Iowa State's Tim Sindt ran to an eighth-place performance in the 10,000 final. The former Ankeny High prep ran 29:57.27. Teammate Sanele Masondo racked up his first Big 12 title in a new facility record of 29:14.53. His 18 points helped the Cyclone men to third place in the team race with 90 points. It's the third top-three finish in outdoor history for the Iowa State men, with the others in 2019 and 2021.

Back to the ARC meet where Simpson College senior Spencer Moon cemented his legacy as one of the all-time greats in conference history. The former South Central Calhoun prep repeated as 10,000 champion Friday, pulling away from Wartburg's Tyler Schermerhorn and Isaiah Hammerand to win in 31:12.31. Moon leaves with four ARC records, indoors or outdoors, and finishes with eighth consecutive wins in conference races in track and field dating to his 2022 title in the outdoor 5,000 meters.

Schermerhorn, a sophomore and former Ankeny Centennial athlete, ran to a career-best second in an ARC event. He was clocked in 31:19.98. Freshman and former Western Dubuque prep Isaiah Hammerand of Wartburg took third in 31:50.39.

In the women's 10,000, Wartburg junior and former Dubuque Hempstead prep Shaelyn Hostager claimed the title in 38:12.25. Simpson junior Lara Kallem earned her first all-conference honor by taking runner-up honors in 38:22.53. She is a former Dallas Center-Grimes prep. Junior teammate and former Valley athlete Teghan Booth picked up her third ARC honor by capturing third in 38:43.97.

In that 3,000 steeplechase Friday, Wartburg junior Ellie Meyer was third in 10:39.00. Meyer is a former Iowa Falls-Alden prep. Senior teammate and former AGWSR (Ackley) prep Aubrie Fisher was fourth in 10:46.16. Central junior Addy Parrott took fifth in 11:02.98. She is a former Danville prep.

Wartburg went 1-2 in the men's steeplechase, with senior Christopher Collet successfully defending his title. Collet ran a new championship record of 8:59.03. Sophomore Lance Sobaski, a former Washington prep, was next across the line in 9:06.87 for his best finish in the ARC. Central College true freshman Jack Brown notched third in a new best of 9:10.66. He is a former Norwalk prep. Central junior Caleb Silver took fourth in 9:21.02. Silver is a former BCLUW of Conrad prep. Wartburg junior Jack Kinzer was next in 9:23.07. He is a former North Liberty prep. Wartburg junior Clay Pehl, a former Madrid athlete, was sixth in 9:25.21.

A Loras College 4x800 that included senior and former Cedar Rapids Prairie prep took victory Friday in 7:39.05. They were 1.28 seconds ahead of a Central team that included Brown.

In the men's 1,500 Saturday, Central's Noah Jorgensen claimed the conference title after a great duel with Collett. The former Sidney prep and Dutch junior ran 3:50.09 to top Collet by just .07 of a second. Wartburg sophomore Shane Erb, a former Marion prep, was fourth in 3:52.79. Junior teammate Sam Schmitz, who attended Johnston, ran a new best of 3:52.90 for fifth.

In that women's 1,500, Central College sophomore Peyton Steffen ran to a new best of 4:31.71 to boost her chances of making NCAA nationals. The former Marion prep was third. Behind her was Wartburg's Meyer in 4:38.07. Fisher ran 4:39.70 for fifth while Central's Parrott was sixth in 4:42.31. Coe record-setting junior Lewis Kleman notched sixth place in 3:54.17. Kleman ran for Cedar Rapids Washington.

Kleman also was seventh in the 5,000 final in 15:26.29 in a race won by Wartburg senior Jacob Green. Green, a former Cedar Rapids Kennedy athlete, ran 14:52.34 to top sophomore teammate and former Center Point-Urbana standout Eli Larson. Larson ran 14:55.35. Central's Silver returned to take the bronze in 15:03.05. Teammate Randy Jimenez, a former Southeast Warren prep, was next in an ARC career-best finish of fourth after running 15:12.00. Wartburg's Connor Lancial was sixth in 15:20.60. The junior is a former Council Bluffs Lewis Central athlete.

In the women's 800, Wartburg sophomore and former Kee (Lansing) prep Haley Meyer ran to victory in a new best of 2:14.47. Meyer won by 2.01 seconds.

Buena Vista University junior Kyle Miller secured an ARC-best finih in the 800 final. The former Carlisle prep ran 1:51.03 to trail only Loras junior Joe Franke's 1:50.86. Wartburg junior Carter Cruise was fourth in 1:53.23. Cruise is a former Monticello runner. Central's Jorgenson came back to take sixth in 1:55.93.

In that women's 5,000 won by Johnson, McMartin earned her third top-three finish of the weekend by running 17:25.25 for third. Though a junior eligibility-wise, McMartin will be ending her college career at nationals. Teammate Parrott was fourth in 17:54.26, with Wartburg's Ellie Meyer next in 18:19.24. The Wartburg women won their 24th conference team title with 234.5 points while the Loras men scored 194.5 points to top city rival Dubuque University by 9.5 points.

Moving briefly to the NCAA Division II ranks, where Northwest Missouri State redshirt sophomore and former ADM (Adel) prep finished in third place in the Loper Twilight meet hosted by Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday. Mueller ran 3:56.38.

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 Megan Johnson, Janette Schraft, Paityn Noe, Betsy Saina, Annie Frisbie, Mattison Plummer, Spencer Moon