Sept. 4, 2009
IOWA CITY, IA — The University of Iowa Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams kicked off their season with the Hawkeye Invite against the University of Northern Iowa. The Iowa women’s squad ran a 3,000 meter race and beat the Panthers 15-50, while the men ran a 6,000 meter race and won by an identical score of 15-50. Hawkeye sophomore Betsy Flood and freshman Jeffrey Thode each took first place in their races with collegiate-best finishes.
For the women, Flood led the pack with a collegiate-best finish of 10:20.25, which ranks third all-time at Iowa. Junior Amanda Hardesty was close behind, finishing second with a 10:21.51, a collegiate-best finish that ranks fourth all-time at Iowa. Sophomore Brooke Eilers rounded out the top three for the Hawkeyes, finishing third with a collegiate-best 10:24.51 that ranks fifth in school history. Iowa finished sixth other athletes in the top 10, including sophomore Lindsay Anderson (5th, 10:36.73) and newcomer Megan Lessard, who finished sixth with a 10:40.20 clocking in her Iowa debut. “I think we came out here with one purpose, and that was to race as a pack,” said Women’s Head Coach Layne Anderson. “I think we did an excellent job of executing that plan. We had three girls run faster than 10:25, and I’ve told the girls that I think we have a more complete team top to bottom than last season, and I think today was proof of that.”
Thode made a strong collegiate debut in the men’s 6,000-meter race, clocking in at 18:21.70, which ranks second all-time at Iowa. Redshirt freshman Nick Holmes finished second with a collegiate-best 18:30.56, which ranks fifth in school history. Junior Sam Bailin placed third in 18:33.97, which ranks seventh all-time at Iowa. In total, Iowa took nine of the top 10 spots, with sophomore Chase Kadlec (4th, 19:05.18) and junior James Paul (5th, 19:06.35) rounding out the top five finishers. “I think we did exactly what we hoped to do as a team,” said Men’s Head Coach Larry Wieczorek. “We wanted to run as a pack, execute like we’ve been doing in practice, so I think we accomplished that. The guys worked together and they ran strong. Here early in the season we’re trying to emphasize the team and not the individual, and I think that’s what we did tonight.”
In three weeks, The University of Iowa cross country squads will head north to the University of Minnesota for the Griak Invitational on September 26. Events will be held at Les Bolstad Golf Course and are slated to start at 12:55 p.m.
Hawkeye Invite Team Results
Women’s Team Results
1. Iowa 15
2. Northern Iowa 50
Men’s Team Results
1. Iowa 15
2. Northern Iowa 50
Hawkeye Invite Women’s 3,000 Meter Results (Top Ten Finishes Plus Iowa)
1. Betsy Flood (Iowa) 10:20.25
2. Amanda Hardesty (Iowa) 10:21.51
3. Brooke Eilers (Iowa) 10:24.51
4. Caedryn Schrunk (Unattached) 10:29.24
5. Lindsay Anderson (Iowa) 10:36.73
6. Megan Lessard (Iowa) 10:40.20
7. Hannah Roeder (Iowa) 10:41.26
8. Jennie Docherty (Iowa) 10:42.34
9. Fionna Fallon (Iowa) 10:44.61
10. Lauren Hardesty (Iowa) 10:49.56
12. Megan Ranegar (Iowa) 10:52.68
13. Katie Ellis (Iowa) 10:55.08
14. Jackie Laesch (Iowa) 11:03.18
17. Kelsey Hart (Iowa) 11:21.54
18. Alissa Duffy (Iowa) 11:21.11
22. Susan Kuhl (Iowa) 11:32.02
23. Kelsey Stueland (Iowa) 11:33.20
Men’s 6,000 Meter Results (Top Ten Finishes)
1. Jeffrey Thode (Iowa) 18:21.70
2. Nick Holmes (Iowa) 18:30.56
3. Sam Bailin (Iowa) 18:33.97
4. Chase Kadlec (Iowa) 19:05.18
5. James Paul (Iowa) 19:06.35
6. Mark Battista (Iowa) 19:08.20
7. Tommy Tate (Iowa) 19:16.79
8. Brett Egan (Northern Iowa) 19:42.77
9. Jay Renaud (Iowa) 19:46.63
10 Mike Marbach (Iowa) 19:51.39