Nov. 5, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format
IOWA CITY, IA–
THIS WEEK– The men and women’s cross country teams will compete at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Peoria, IL Saturday. The women will be running a 6K and the men will be running an 8K.
CY-HAWK SERIES– This meet will count towards the Hy-Vee Cy Hawk Series, as the Hawkeyes face Iowa State for the first time this season. Both schools will be competeing for four points. The team who finishes ahead of the other will recieve two points. One pair of points on the men’s side, one pair of points of the women’s side. The Hawkeyes hold a 2-1 advantage in the in-state competition against Iowa State since it began in 2005. The 12-sport series awards two points (except football, which is worth three) to the winning school in each head-to-head match-up between the two institutions. Additionally, one point is awarded to an institute if the graduation rate of its student-athletes is greater than the national average as reported each fall by the NCAA. A commemorative Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series Cup is displayed on the winning team’s campus for an entire year after a victory. Replica cups are also presented as “traveling trophies” for individual victorious teams. Iowa State currently leads the fourth annual series, 8-1.
WOMEN’S LAST TIME OUT–Senior Diane Nukuri won the Big Ten indvidual Championships, shattering the school and course records by over 45 seconds with the time of 19:37. This was Iowa’s first individual champion since Tracy Dahl in 1992. Nukuri led the Hawkeyes to fifth place, the highest finish under Coach Layne Anderson and Iowa’s highest since 1993. Senior Meghan Armstrong (4th, 20:08), sophomore Jolly Burke (9th, 20:20), senior Jessica Schmidt (43rd, 21:20), sophomore Krista Anderson (53rd, 21:47), freshman Lauren Hardesty (56th, 21:52), freshman Amanda Hardesty (57th, 21:53) senior Molly Esche (70th, 22:18) and sophomore Katie Ellis (78th, 22:35) also ran for Iowa. Eight Hawkeyes had personal bests.
MEN’S LAST TIME OUT–The Hawkeyes were led to an eighth place Big Ten finish by sophomore Jesse Luciano (20th, 24:24). Junior Andy Napier (37th, 24:55), sophomore Tommy Tate (50th, 25:09), freshman Mark Battista (57th, 25:26), sophomore Brendan Camplin (72nd, 25:56), sophomore Jay Renaud (75th, 26:04), freshman Bob Ingram (76th, 26:15) and freshman Sam Bailin (77th, 26:24) also ran for the Hawkeyes.
THE RANKINGS–The United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association has released its sixth rankings for the 2007 season. The Hawkeye women are ranked 19th nationally and third in the Midwest region. The men are ranked 11th in the region.
NUKURI NAME BIG TEN ATHLETE OF THE YEAR–Hawkeye Diane Nukuri has been named Big Ten Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year. The Pickering, Ontario, native is a four-time Big Ten Runner of the Week honoree and only the second Hawkeye woman to be named Athlete of the Year. Her championship title this year shattered the school and course records by over 45 seconds with a time of 19:37.60. She was the first Hawkeye to win the Big Ten meet since Tracy Dahl in 1992. Nukuri has run in four races this season and won three. She set four school records and three course records. Her championship title this year shattered the school and course records by over 45 seconds with a time of 19:37.60. She was the first Hawkeye to win the Big Ten meet since Tracy Dahl in 1992. Nukuri has run in four races this season and won three. She set four school records and three course records. Senior Jessica Schmidt and junior Andy Napier were named Iowa’s cross country Big Ten Sportsmanship honorees. Schmidt, of Columbus, OH, improved her times every meet. Schmidt shattered her previous personal best by nearly a minute at the Big Ten Championships with a time of 21:20. She also shaved 20 seconds at the Auburn Invitational with a time of 17:28 and the Hawkeye Invitational with a time of 14:21. Napier, of Antioch, IL, was named the team’s co-captain in October and has been a strong leader and consistent runner this season. He won the Hawkeye Invitational in a time of 25:02, Sept. 15. Napier improved his 8,000-meter time by nearly 50 seconds since last season.
HAWKEYE WOMEN’S COACH Layne Anderson — Layne Anderson is in his fifth year as head women’s cross country coach at Iowa. In his four years with the cross country team, the Hawkeyes have made strong strides toward recapturing the program’s success of the 1980’s. The program took a major step in that direction in 2006, qualifying for the NCAA Championships as a team for the first time in 14 years and posting its highest Big Ten finish (sixth) since 1993. The Hawkeyes also recorded their highest finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional meet (third) under Anderson. Iowa has improved its finish at the NCAA Midwest regional each season, placing ninth in 2003, seventh in 2004, sixth in 2005 and third in 2006.
HAWKEYE MEN’S COACH Larry Wieczorek — Larry Wieczorek is in his 21st season as Iowa men’s cross country coach. During his tenure, the cross country team has placed sixth or higher 10 times at the NCAA Regional Championships, has posted 29 all-region selections and qualified for the NCAA Championships five times. In 2004, the Hawkeyes recorded their highest placings under Wieczorek at the Big Ten (3rd) and NCAA Championships (13th). In 2002, Wieczorek was named Midwest Region Coach of the Year honors by the United States Cross Country Association after the Hawkeyes won the NCAA Regional for the first time in school history. Wieczorek was a two-time Big Ten champion and a member of Iowa’s last Big Ten track championship team in 1967. Wieczorek still owns the Iowa record in the indoor two miles.
QUOTING COACH ANDERSON–“Our goal this weekend is to be in the top two and get an automatic bid. We want to control our own fate to get to nationals and based on the Big Tens we think this will be a tight race with Illinois.”
QUOTING COACH WIECZOREK–“Traditionally, we run our best at the regional meet. We are ranked 11th in the region, which isn’t really too high. I hope to run our best and prove those rankings wrong.”
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