Hawkeyes Open 2008 Season

WOMEN’S SEASON PREVIEW –Coach Layne Anderson knows that this season’s success will depend on the performance of inexperienced returnees and unproven newcomers. Veteran leadership and breakout performances are needed from senior Krisa Anderson, juniors Katie Ellis, Fionna Fallon, and sophomores Amanda and Lauren Hardesty and Hannah Roeder. Iowa welcomes 12 newcomers to the program who should add immediate firepower. Spencer Perry (Sioux Falls, SD) was a three-time NCAA Division III All-American in both cross country and track. Her best collegiate time of 21:28 in the cross country 6K would rank seventh in Iowa history. Lindsay Anderson (Leeds, ND), sister of Hawkeye senior Krista Anderson, was a two-time Footlocker finalist and a 14-time state champion in cross country and track.

MEN’S SEASON PREVIEW –Coach Larry Wieczorek hopes the experience of a disappointing 2007 season will help this squad make its way back to the NCAA Championships after not making it last season for the first time in three years. Seniors Eric MacTaggart and Andy Napier will be co-captains and expect to set a winning attitude for the team. MacTaggart is a second team all-Big Ten and two-time all-region honoree and has also competed in three NCAA meets. He holds the school and Ashton Cross Country Course 6K record of 18:18. Napier is coming off of a successful 2008 track season, the second Hawkeye finisher in the last four races, winning the Hawkeye open.

IOWA WOMEN’S COACH Layne Anderson — Anderson is in his sixth season as the women’s cross country head coach. In his five years, the Hawkeyes have reached a level of success not seen since the 1980’s. The Hawkeyes qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2006 for the first time in 14 years, and then qualified again in 2007. The Hawkeyes finished 5th in the 2007 Big Ten Championship, the team’s highest finish since 1993, and placed third in the NCAA Midwest Regional the last two years. The team has earned academic all-American honors all five seasons with 26 Hawkeyes earning academic all-Big Ten honors. Anderson holds two degrees from The Citadel: a bachelor’s (1989) and masters of education (1991), both in health and physical education. Anderson and his wife, Alexis, have a son, Sawyer.

IOWA MEN’S COACH Larry Wieczorek — Wieczorek is in his 22nd season as the men’s cross country coach. Under Wieczorek, the Hawkeyes placed sixth or higher 10 times at the NCAA Regional championships, posted 31 all-region selections and qualified for the NCAA championship five times. In 2002, the Hawkeyes won the NCAA Regional for the first time in school history and Wieczorek was named Midwest Region Coach of the Year by the United States Cross Country Association. Wieczorek is a six-time Big Ten champion (two in cross country) and four time all-American at Iowa. He was also part of the last Big Ten track championship team (1967). He earned a B.S. degree in physical education from Iowa (1969) and a M.S. degree from Northern Illinois University (1973). His wife’s name is Jackie.

HAWKEYE INVITE PREVIEW (8/29, Iowa City, IA) – Both the men and women’s cross country teams will open the season August 29th at the Ashton Cross Country Course. The women will run a 3K at 6 p.m. with the men running a 6K at approximately 6:30 p.m. Competing teams include Iowa, Texas A&M and Wichita State.

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