Oct. 22, 2008
- Iowa and the Big Ten Network
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
- Hawkeye Harriers web site
IOWA CITY, IA–The Iowa women’s cross country team finds itself back in the national rankings at 21st in the most recent U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Poll. The week four poll, released Tuesday, puts the Hawkeyes at their highest rank of the season, beating out their previous high mark of 27th. The Iowa women were ranked 27th for the pre-season and week one polls, but then dropped out for week two and three.
This pattern is nothing new to Head Coach Layne Anderson. He says that for the past two years, his squad traditionally starts off ranked, drops off mid-season, and that Pre-Nationals pushes them back into the national scene.
“It’s definitely a confidence booster,” Coach Anderson says of the most recent polls, “especially when you consider that we’re doing the same things we did the last two years with an overall new squad. That’s a good sign.” This 2008 squad is repeating the patterns of the 2006 and 2007 teams despite missing six of the eight girls from those years that went to nationals.
Iowa represents one part of a large Big Ten presence in the most recent poll. Seven of the eleven Big Ten teams are nationally ranked, with the Big Ten being the largest represented NCAA conference in the week four poll. The other six ranked Big Ten Teams besides Iowa are Minnesota (7th), Michigan (8th), Michigan State (9th), Illinois (10th), Wisconsin (16th), and Penn State (19th).
These power-packed teams will all meet at the Big Ten Championships on Sunday Nov 2.