Oct. 13, 2008
- Iowa and the Big Ten Network
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
- Hawkeye Harriers web site
THIS WEEK — The women’s and men’s teams will compete in Pre-Nationals in Terre Haute, IN, on Oct 18. The women will run a 6,000 meter race at 11:00 a.m. ET followed by the men who will run an 8,000 meter race at 12:10 p.m.
AUBURN INVITE RESULTS — The men’s and women’s teams both took third in their respective races. The men competed against 24 teams in an 8,000 meter race earning 72 points, and the women competed against 23 teams in a 5,000 meter race earning 99 points. Both teams placed three individual finishers in the top 20 out of over 200 competitors. The top performers for each squad were senior Racheal Marchand (5th, 16:15.50) and junior Jesse Luciano (4th, 23:01.83).
BIG TEN CROSS-COUNTRY RUNNERS OF THE WEEK – After their impressive finishes at the Auburn Invite, Jesse Luciano and Racheal Marchand were both honored as Big Ten cross-country runners of the week. Both earned new personal best times at Auburn for their respective races. This is the first weekly laurel for either athlete. Penn State’s Bridget Franek was also co-honored as Big Ten women’s runner of the week.
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.
NEXT TIME OUT — The women will compete in the NCAA Midwest Regional in Peoria, IL, on Nov 10 and the men will compete in the Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, MI, on Nov 2.