Nov. 15, 2003
Stillwater, OK – The University of Iowa men’s and women’s cross country teams earned top ten finishes at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship today on the campus of Oklahoma State. The men’s team finished third with 129 team points while the women finished ninth with 283 team points.
The Iowa women concluded their season with a ninth-place finish. Senior Sarah Arens led the Hawkeyes in her final collegiate cross country meet, completing the 6,000-meter race in 22:00, 16th overall. Arens’ effort fell two seconds short of matching the fastest 6,000-meter time in school history, a record she already holds. The Remsen, IA, native now holds the seven fastest 6K times in Iowa women’s cross country history.
Freshman Nikki Chapple turned in the eighth fastest 6K time in school history by completing the course in 22:31, 32nd overall. Freshman Shannon Stanley and senior Georgia Millward also engraved their name in the Iowa record books with their performances today. Stanley finished third among Hawkeyes with a time of 23:09, the 12th fastest time in school history. Millward’s efforts earned her the 16th fastest time in school history. The senior completed her final race as a Hawkeye in 23:26.
Women’s team champion Nebraska finished the meet with 60 team points to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. Missouri finished a close second with 63 points to earn the second and final automatic bid. The Tigers were able to claim the individual champion in Amanda Bates. Bates finished the meet in 21:18 to edge Nebraska’s Ann Gaffigan by five seconds.