FORT DODGE - Jacob Driskill and Owen Martin concluded the 2025 cross country season Saturday at the snow-covered NJCAA Championships in Fort Dodge at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course.
Two inches of snow fell over Fort Dodge on Saturday, leaving the course blanketed in a wet, heavy snow for the duration of the six races. It made for a unique and memorable race for the two Spartan harriers.
Driskill led the way by placing 102nd in the Division II with his time of 29:08.8, with Martin not far behind in 128th place. Martin crossed the finish line in 29:43.1. The men's Division II race featured 343 total finishers.
"Ever since it was announced Fort Dodge was hosting this year's national championships, I had joked that I wanted it to be cold and snowy because it would be an advantage for us over some of the southern schools," said Scott Vicker, director of cross country/track & field. "Whether or not it was an advantage for anyone is debatable, but it did drastically change the tactics of the race and provided an opportunity for things to get shaken up quite a bit. I give our guys credit - they never once complained about the conditions. Instead, they embraced them and competed hard. I'm incredibly proud of them for that."
After watching the men's Division I race before the Spartans ran, Vicker made a last-minute change to his race strategy for his two runners. Instead of the more conservative start they had previously talked about, Vicker asked them to get out fast through the first kilometer of the race to establish position. From there, Driskill and Martin were to settle in and do their best to maintain that position throughout the race.
The two Spartan runners started together, coming through the first kilometer in 3:23 before settling in around 3:40 per kilometer pace. Driskill started to pull away from Martin shortly after the 2-mile mark.
"I thought the guys executed their race plan really well," Vicker said. "Obviously, with the weather conditions, we threw time out the window. It was more about how we competed. Even so, it was one of the fastest opening kilometers of the entire season for both runners, and I thought they handled it really well. They both gave up some spots in the fifth and sixth kilometers of the race, but both did a great job of battling back over the final 2 kilometers."
For Driskill, the race marked a massive improvement over last year's NJCAA Championships. Driskill finished 232nd at last year's national championships, running 30:07.6. He improved by 130 places this year.
"The time doesn't reflect it because of the conditions, but I truly believe this was the best race of Jacob's career," Vicker said. "Just the way he competed and the toughness he showed out there on Saturday, it was the most complete race he's put together. And, he beat some athletes he had never beaten before. So I was really impressed with him and proud of the way he finished off his cross country career."
For Martin, it was an opportunity to gain valuable experience at a national championship meet.
"This was important for Owen's continued development as a cross country runner," Vicker said. "He made some big improvements throughout his freshman season, and I expect him to be a leader for us next year. Getting this experience on Saturday will help him a lot next year when he returns to the national championships."
Sophomore Brandon Briley, who had been the top runner for the Spartans over his two-year cross country career, also qualified for the national championships, but was unable to compete due to a foot injury sustained at the regional championships.
"I was bummed for Brandon that he was unable to compete Saturday, but it was the best decision knowing we need him to be healthy for the upcoming track season," Vicker said. "Brandon had a great cross country career for us, finishing his career fifth on the program's all-time 8K performance list."
