Iowa State continues to secure some of the best runners in Missouri.
One of the latest examples is the Cyclones getting Josie Baker to come to Ames from Kirkwood.
The senior is one of the top distance runners in the state in cross country and field and will join a program that has been making inroads in recruiting the Show-Me State.
This fall, she won two races, placed second in two more and was all-state again. She took fourth in the MSHSAA Class 5 State XC Championship and posted a career-best 17:54.60.
She was sixth as a junior, eighth as a sophomore and 16th as a freshman.
In track and field, she was a state champion in the 1,600-meter and runner-up in the 800-meter finals last spring. In 2022, she was third in the 800-meter run.
The Cyclones' cross country program this fall featured Madelyn Hill from Liberty , Mya Trober from Blue Springs South, while the track and field had Kaitlyn Burson from Willard, Makayla Clark from Lee's Summit West and Camryn Hubbard from Pattonville.
Baker is following in the footsteps of her parents, David and Kari, who both ran at Southeast Missouri State. Her older brother, Christian Baker, runs at Tulsa.
Baker and coach Gina Woodard talked about the recruiting process and how she ended up at Iowa State.