FLASH: WSU's Rosemary Longisa transfers to Iowa State and reunites with coach Laura Harmon...

With apologies in advance to the great singer and songwriter Stevie Wonder, this was a move even he saw coming.

After Laura Harmon was announced on Sunday as the new women's head cross country coach and track assistant coach at Iowa State University, the rumors were already running rampant on whether or not NCAA 1500 meter champion Rosemary Longisa (Paul Merca photo) would follow Harmon to Ames, especially in the new era of college athletics where you can transfer to a different school every year without consequence.

As first published on our Buy Me A Coffee premium site, Longisa has signed a national letter of intent to attend Iowa State University this fall.

Longisa holds PRs of 4:02.55 in the 1,500m and 4:24.59 in the mile. Longisa has also gone sub-two minutes in the 800m, with a best time of 1:59.71.

Longisa was the national runner-up in the mile, and MPSF conference champion in the mile and DMR. In cross country, Longisa earned All-America honors as a freshman. The three-time All-American enters the 2026-27 season as a junior.

She joins a stacked Cyclone distance crew that includes cross country All Americans Betty Kipkore (15th) and Mercy Kibet (20th), along with NCAA 10000 meter champion Mercyline Kirwa. This puts Iowa State as one of the early favorites for the NCAA cross country title this fall.

With the Cyclones also having a contingent of Kenyan athletes on the men's side, it naturally calls into question whether or not some of the athletes at Washington State would also make a move. It also calls into question whether or not Townhall Athletics, the agency that represents Longisa and a number of other Kenyans competing for other NCAA schools around the country, steered her towards Iowa State.

Longisa is currently in Nairobi for the Kenyan senior championships this weekend, which serves as the trials for the Commonwealth Games track and field competition in Glasgow, Scotland at the end of July.

Iowa State's release is available here.

NOTE: Iowa State University Athletics contributed to this report.

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