Sept. 13, 2005
IOWA CITY – For the first time under Head Coach Layne Anderson the University of Iowa Women’s Cross Country program received points in the FinishLynx/NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country National Poll. The Hawkeyes begin the season ranked 36th in the country with a total of 15 points. With the return of an outstanding core group and the addition of another solid recruiting class, the Hawkeyes are beginning to resemble some of the great teams of the past.
Runners Nikki Chapple, Meghan Armstrong, Shannon Stanley, Rachael Marchand, and Krista Anderson all could contend for All-Big Ten Honors. While other Hawkeyes Katie Donlon, Molly Esche, Jessica Schmidt, Christine Katorba, Allison Billhardt, and Laura Pearson are all far ahead of their performances from one year ago and should be further ahead by seasons end.
One of the team goals this season was to secure a place in the national poll so it serves as extra motivation to gain this recognition early. As the team adjusts its goals the Hawkeyes must now set their sights on moving up the rankings as the season progresses. The Pre-NCAA meet, the Big Ten Championships, and the NCAA Regional will all be meets that could improve on the ranking. Five Big Ten teams appear in the poll this week illustrating how competitive the conference is.
Rank Team (first place votes) Region Points 2004 Place1. Colorado (5) MT 379 12. Duke (6) SE 374 23. Notre Dame GL 356 44. Stanford (2) W 344 55. Michigan GL 325 66. Brigham Young MT 321 87. Providence NE 319 38. Arizona State W 292 99. North Carolina State SE 283 1210. Villanova MA 261 711. Columbia MA 243 1312. Wake Forest SE 215 1913. Michigan State GL 210 1414. Illinois MW 201 2015. UC - Santa Barbara W 191 1716. Tennessee S 181 2117. Arkansas SC 180 1618. Princeton MA 172 1819. Missouri MW 133 1120. Colorado State MT 112 2621. Georgetown MA 109 --22. Georgia S 104 2423. Indiana GL 99 3024. Baylor SC 93 2925. Virginia SE 74 --26. North Carolina SE 69 1027. Washington W 60 2328. Marquette GL 58 2829. Yale NE 53 --30. Butler GL 50 31
Also Receiving Votes: Southern Methodist 39, Florida State 38, Oklahoma 28, Idaho 27, Boston College 19, IOWA 15, Utah State 11, UCLA 4, LaSalle 2, William & Mary 1.