Cross Country Squads Head to Madison, WI

Sept. 29, 2009

THIS WEEK– Iowa will head to Madison, WI, on October 3rd for the inaugural Wisconsin Adidas Invitational, the first race on the new Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course at University Ridge. Events are slated to begin at 11:00 a.m., with the men running an 8,000-meter race and the women running a 5,000-meter race at 11:45 a.m.

LAST TIME OUT — The University of Iowa men’s and women’s squads were at Iowa State University for the 2009 Iowa Intercollegiate Cross Country Meet. Iowa won the men’s 8,000 meters and the women finished fifth in the 5,000 meters.

Freshman Jeff Thode came through again with a first place finish for the Hawkeyes, crossing the line at 24:50. Senior Jesse Luciano and junior Mark Battista finished back-to-back at 25:21 and 25:24 in second and third place, respectively. In total, Iowa took seven of the top 10 places, with seniors Brendan Camplin (5th, 25:50) and Tommy Tate (6th, 26:09), junior James Paul (7th, 26:18), and sophomore Nick Holmes (9th, 26:26), helping Iowa earn the win.

The women were lead by freshman Kelsey Hart, (9th, 19:23), senior Kelsey Stueland (22nd, 20:04) and sophomore Jackie Laesch (23rd, 20:11) as the top three Iowa finishers. Sophomore Susan Kuhl (27th, 20:23), freshman Sarah Boyd (20:32) and sophomore Jordan Williams (65th, 23:04) were Iowa’s other competitors.

USTFCCCA WEEK ONE POLL — Both Iowa teams improved their positions in the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll for week one. The men’s team moved to seventh in the Midwest Region, up one spot from the preseason poll. The women’s team remains fourth in the region, but moved up to 33rd nationally.

TEAMS NAME 2009 CAPTAINS — The University of Iowa men’s and women’s cross country teams have named their team captains. For the men, they are seniors Brendan Camplin and Tommy Tate. The women captains are senior Jennie Docherty and junior Hannah Roeder.

Tate is a three-time letterwinner whose 2008 Auburn Invite 8,000-meter finish of 23:46 ranks fifth all-time at Iowa. Camplin is a two-time letterwinner and two-time academic all-Big Ten honoree. His 2008 Auburn Invite 8,000-meter time of 24:01 ranks eighth all-time at Iowa.

Roeder was a letterwinner in her first season with the Iowa cross country team in 2008, and was Iowa’s third finisher in the NCAA Championships, running a collegiate-best 6,000 meters (21:39). Docherty is a long-time competitor at Iowa who has lettered in both cross country and track.

FLOOD EARNS WEEKLY HONORS — University of Iowa sophomore Betsy Flood was one of three student-athletes named Big Ten Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week on September 8, following her performance at the Hawkye Invite. This is Flood’s first weekly honor, with the last Hawkeye to earn this honor being Racheal Marchand on October 7, 2008.

Flood shares the weekly laurel with Michigan junior Danielle Tauro and Penn State sophomore Caitlin Lee. The Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week was Alex Russeau, a junior at Michigan State.

HAWKEYE WOMEN’S COACH Layne Anderson — Layne Anderson is in his second year as head coach of the University of Iowa women’s cross country and track and field teams. He has served as the women’s cross country coach for the past six seasons, and was the interim head women’s track coach in 2008. From 2003-07, he served as an assistant women’s track coach for the Hawkeyes.

In Anderson’s six years with the cross country team, the Hawkeyes have made strong strides toward recapturing the program’s success of the 1980’s. The team qualified for the NCAA Championships the last three seasons after a 14-year absence from the meet. In 2008, the Hawkeyes placed sixth at the Big Ten meet and fourth at the NCAA Midwest Regional, marking the third straight season that Iowa has placed sixth or higher at the conference race and fourth or higher at the regional meet. During Anderson’s tenure, the Hawkeyes have also set school records in the 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 and 6,000 meters.

HAWKEYE MEN’S COACH Larry Wieczorek — Larry Wieczorek is in his 23rd season as head men’s cross country coach and is in his 14th season as head men’s track coach at the University of Iowa. He served as an assistant track coach for 12 years before taking the helm in 1997.

Wieczorek took over the men’s cross country program in 1987, and has since shifted his track responsibilities to the distance corps. During his tenure, the cross country team has placed sixth or higher 10 times at the NCAA Regional Championships, has posted 33 all-region selections and qualified for the NCAA Championships five times. In 2002, Wieczorek was named Midwest Region Coach of the Year by the United States Cross Country Association after the Hawkeyes won the NCAA Regional for the first time in school history. In 2004, the Hawkeyes recorded their highest placings under Wieczorek at the Big Ten (3rd) and NCAA Championships (13th). He has coached several Hawkeyes to individual honors – including 2006 NCAA Midwest Regional Men’s Athlete of the Year Micah VanDenend and Iowa’s two Big Ten Cross Country Freshman of the Year honorees in Jared Pittman (1993) and Reed Steele (1998).

UP NEXT — Iowa will travel to the familiar territory of Indiana State University at Terre Haute, IN, for the Pre-NCAA Invite on Oct 17.

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