PERSONAL BESTS
2021-22
2022 Track
Ran in six meets on the season... Won the 2022 WAC championship in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in a program-record time of 8:39.55... Finished runner-up in the 5K at the WAC Championships (14:13.92)... Ran season bests of 8:09.11 in the 3K at the RCC Invite, 13:56.55 in the 5K at the West Coast Relays and 29:31.03 at the Ben Brown Invite... Qualified for WAC All-Academic honors.
2021 Cross Country
Ran in five events and finished top two for CBU each time... Ran a season-best 8K time of 23:35.6 at the WAC Championships, which ranked fourth in program's record book... Finished runner-up at the WAC Meet for all-conference first-team honors... Won the Anteater Open individual title with a time of 18:39.3 in the 6K... Took fourth at the UC Riverside Invitational (23:50.6) and Joe Piane Invitational Gold Race (24:31.2)... Qualified for WAC All-Academic honors.
2020-21
2021 Track
Won the 2021 WAC championship in the 10,000m with a time of 30:41.78... Ran the 10K in a CBU record 28:43.33 prior to the official track season beginning at the Track Meet in December... Clocked a season-best time of 14:08.37 in the 5K, which was good for second place at the West Coast Relays on April 30... Qualified for WAC All-Academic honors.
2021 Cross Country
Led CBU in all three regular season events... Set the Lancers' 8,000m record at the UNLV Battle Born Challenge on Feb. 19 with a time of 23:33.5... Twice named WAC Athlete of the Week on Jan. 26 and Feb. 23... Ran a 23:45.3 at Dixie State Invite and 23:57.9 at Florida State Winter Classic, which rank third and fourth in program's 8K record books... Finished runner-up at Dixie State Invite, took 14th at Battle Born Challenge and 19th at Florida State Winter Classic... Qualified for WAC All-Academic honors.
2019-20
2020 Track
Ivo ran in just one race during the shortened season... During that 3,000-meter race at the Pomona-Pitzer All Comers meet, Balabanov set a program record time finishing at 8:21.15... Qualified for WAC All-Academic honors.
HIGH SCHOOL
Attended high school in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, and graduated in 2016... Competed for the club team Athlete-Mezdra... Owns personal bests of three minutes, 45 seconds in the 1500 meter, 8:01 in the 3K, 8:51 in the steeplechase, and 14:07 in the 5,000.
PERSONAL
Born and raised in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria... Enjoys boxing, movies, and cars... Kinesiology major... Represented Bulgaria at the 2018 and 2019 European u23 Cross Country Championships.
