Hard work, commitment and integrity are qualities displayed by Iowa farmers and Iowa State student-athletes. 

Embracing these qualities is a joint goal for Iowa Farm Bureau and the Iowa State Athletics Department, and each year 16 Cyclone student-athletes (one from each sport) are honored for their dedication on the Farm Strong Squad.

"Cyclone student-athletes named to the 2023-24 Farm Strong team consistently model the same values and attributes that Iowans around the state display daily in their lives," ISU Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard said. "Our ongoing partnership with Iowa Farm Bureau affords our department the opportunity to honor a special group of Cyclones for their leadership, work ethic and dedication to academic and athletic success."

Brent Johnson, Iowa Farm Bureau president, is proud to announce this year's team.

"Student-athletes today are held to a high standard, and this group not only meets those standards but exceeds them," Johnson says. "We see this same type of tenacity on the farm field – a dedication to something bigger than yourself, perseverance through challenging times and an unyielding work ethic. That's what Farm Strong means, and we're celebrating these young people who embody those characteristics."

The Farm Strong Squad will be honored throughout the year via in-game recognitions, a mural on the concourse at Hilton Coliseum, the Iowa State Athletics website, social media and the annual Cyclone Scholar-Athlete Banquet.

The 2023-24 honorees include….

Pammy Chookaew, Women's Golf, Pathum Thani, Thailand

Chookaew turned in a stellar freshman season for the Cyclones, finishing third on the team in stroke average at 72.74. She earned All-Big 12 Championship honors with a second-place finish at the Big 12 Championship. Her 67 in the opening round of the tournament, and 213 for the tournament, were both the best Big 12 Championship scores in school history. In 27 rounds on the year, she shot in the 60's six times and had eight rounds at par or less.

Olivia Edwards, Soccer, Irvine, California

Edwards has played in 44 games across her three-year ISU career, making 38 starts. In 2022, she started all but two matches for the Cyclones, recording three shots. Edwards has been a member of the Academic All-Big 12 team twice (2021, 2022) and is a three-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll. During her rookie campaign, Edwards was named Big 12 Freshman of the Week.

Alexis Engelbrecht, Volleyball, Cary, North Carolina

Engelbrecht enters her senior season with 269 kills and 210 total blocks in three seasons with the Cyclones. She led the team in blocking in 21 matches and put up five double-figure kill performances in 2022. Academically, she earned CSC Third-Team Academic All-America honors and is a two-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team member. 

Luke Gutschewski, Men's Golf, Elkhorn, Nebraska

Gutschewski led the Cyclones this season in stroke average at 70.78 as he qualified for the NCAA Norman Regional. Gutschewski finished in a tie for 23rd with a three-under par 213. In 37 rounds this year, Gutschewski shot in the 60's 11 times and had 19 rounds below par. Gutschewski turned in four Top 10 performances, including a victory at the Marquette Intercollegiate. 

Madelynn Hill, Women's Cross Country, Liberty, Missouri

Hill qualified for the 2022 NCAA Cross Country Championships as an individual and finished 120th overall. Hill earned her spot at the NCAA Championships after a seventh-place finish at Midwest Regionals. She opened her season earning second place at the Mizzou Opener and was the Cyclones' leader at the Roy Griak Invitational. Hill is a two-time USTFCCCA All-Midwest and All-Big 12 honoree. She has also been named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team five times.

Brinley Horras, Swimming and Diving, Ames, Iowa

Horras was a two-time Big 12 Swimmer of the Week honoree last season and earned Second Team All-Big 12 honors in the 500 free. She collected 10 victories in 2022-23 across the 200, 500 and 1,000 free. Horras is one of the most dedicated, hardworking and competitive student-athletes on the team. She gets the job done both in the pool and in the classroom. She is a great teammate that always has a smile on her face.

Robert Jones, Men's Basketball, Prior Lake, Minnesota 

Jones brings a burst of energy to the floor, earning the nickname "Big Rob Energy". This past season, Jones appeared in 33 games, while starting the final four games of the season. He scored in double figures nine times, with the Cyclones going 7-2 in those games. He had his first double-double at Iowa State against Iowa, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds. 

Jason Kraisser, Wrestling, Ellicott City, Maryland 

Kraisser held down Iowa State's starting spot at 157 pounds during the 2022-23 season in which he posted a 19-15 record. He wrestled his best when it mattered most, stealing a bid to the NCAA Championships courtesy of a fourth-place finish as the No. 7 seed at the Big 12 Championship. Kraisser defeated two top-20 opponents at the conference tournament, No. 10 Jarrett Jacques and No. 20 Cael Swensen, and avenged two prior losses to No. 10 national seed Kaden Gfeller with a pin at NCAAs.

Anna Supapitch Kuearum, Tennis, Bangkok, Thailand

Kuearum has had an immense impact on the success of the Cyclone tennis program in her two seasons in Ames. She's displayed her passion for Iowa State and positively contributed to the team reaching both the ITA National Indoor Championships and the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. Kuearum went 19-13 in singles action and finished ranked 49th-nationally in doubles. She clinched Iowa State's first-ever win against Oklahoma State as well as the program's first win against Baylor in Waco.

Milaysia Ochoa, Softball, Chino, California 

A team captain, Ochoa was the lone Cyclone to play in and start every game in 2023, leading the ISU offense in almost every category. She slashed .319/.614/.406, scoring 44 runs and blasting 12 homers – each the seventh most in a single season in school history. Ochoa went 2-for-2 with a pair of home runs, four RBI, a walk and an HBP as ISU took the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series showdown. She was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team as well as the NFCA Midwest All-Region Team for her efforts.

Ana Irene Palacios, Gymnastics, Guatemala City, Guatemala

After competing in one meet prior to this season, Palacios led off on vault in all 12 meets for the Cyclones in 2023. She also competed on floor in 10 meets and once on bars, earning career highs in all three events. Palacios was named to the Academic All-Big 12 rookie team in 2021-22 and she was named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll in the spring of 2022. In 2023, she earned the Mari-Rae Sopper Award and was an Academic All-Big 12 Second Teamer.

Ezekiel Rop, Men's Cross Country, Eldoret, Kenya

Rop ran in all five meets for the Cyclones in 2022 and capped his season with All-Midwest Region honors with a 14th-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships Midwest Regional. Rop earned his second-straight All-Big 12 honor as he took fourth at Big 12 Championships. He also picked up USTFCCCA National Runner of the Week accolades after opening his season with a victory at the Mizzou Opener.

Emily Ryan, Women's Basketball, Claflin, Kansas

Ryan played and started all 32 games for the Big 12 Tournament Champions and has started 70 consecutive games. She earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors while averaging 10.6 points and playing a Big 12-high 36.3 minutes per game. Ryan dished out 204 assists, becoming the first player in school history with two seasons of 200 dimes. She was also named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team for the second consecutive season and was featured on the Naismith Trophy Watch List.

Peter Smith, Men's Track and Field, Gig Harbor, Washington 

Smith qualified for the NCAA West Preliminaries for the second consecutive season and earned three All-Big 12 honors throughout the 800-meter and mile in the 2023 indoor and outdoor seasons. Smith was part of the 4x800 team that recorded the 16th-fastest time in collegiate history and the second-fastest ISU time. Smith is a top-10 ranked ISU performer in both the indoor and outdoor 800m.

Gerry Vaughn, Football, Atlanta, Georgia 

A two-time First Team Academic All-Big 12 honoree, Vaughn led the Cyclones with 71 tackles in his first season as a full-time starter. The Atlanta native had 4.5 stops for a loss and registered 1.5 sacks. Among his top plays, Vaughn had a sack and forced a fumble as the Cyclones downed Iowa in Iowa City. He had a career-high 11 tackles against Texas Tech and recovered a fumble against Oklahoma. Vaughn is returning for his sixth season at ISU in 2023 with 143 career tackles. He has earned his degree in public relations.

Sydney Willits, Women's Track and Field, Glenview, Illinois 

Willits earned All-America status in 2023, picking up second-team honors in the long jump. The multi-event athlete has recorded her name as a top-10 program performer in four events, including three that rank in the top five. Willits stood atop the podium at the Big 12 Indoor Championships as she earned her first conference title in the long jump. She also picked up All-Big 12 honors at the outdoor conference championships in the heptathlon and long jump.

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