Hawkeyes Ready For Stretch Run

Oct. 12, 2010

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa men’s and women’s cross country teams both hit the road this weekend. It will mark the fourth event of the year for both squads and the second away from the Ashton Cross Country Course in Iowa City. The Hawkeye men will compete at the Bradley Classic Friday and the Iowa women will compete at the Pre-Nationals meet Saturday.

BRADLEY CLASSIC
The Iowa men’s squad travels to Peoria, IL, Friday to compete in the Bradley Classic. Bradley University is the host school. The race will take place at Newman Golf Course at 4 p.m. The course is also the site of the NCAA Midwest Regionals.

PRE-NATIONALS
The Hawkeye women’s team travels to Terre Haute, IN, Saturday to compete at the Pre-Nationals meet. The women’s 6K is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. CT at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, which will also serve as the host site of the NCAA Championships. Eighteen of the top 30 teams nationally will compete in the event.

IN THE RANKINGS
Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams are ranked in the USTFCCCA Regional rankings. The Hawkeye men’s team is ranked sixth in the Midwest Region and the women’s team is ranked fifth. Nationally, the women’s team is receiving votes.

WIECZOREK ANNOUNCES HONORARY TEAM MEMBER
Head Coach Larry Wieczorek has named Dr. Georgina Dodge, the University’s Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Vice President, an honorary team member for the 2010-11 track and field season. Dr. Dodge served as assistant vice provost of Ohio State University’s Office of Minority Affairs for five years before joining the University of Iowa in July, 2010. She earned her B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of California, Irvine, and her Ph.D. in English from the University of California, Los Angeles. “When Dr. Dodge arrived on campus I read in the paper that she was excited to be here and anxious to cover her white office walls, so I sent her a welcoming gift that included a track and field poster and a media guide,” said Wieczorek. “We have one of the largest and most diverse teams on campus, so I thought it would be appropriate for us to welcome her to the University of Iowa. Since then, she has accepted our offer to become an honorary team member. I used to be excited about the upcoming season, but now I like our chances better than ever.”

LAST TIME OUT – WOMEN FINISH 13TH AT NOTRE DAME
The Black and Gold finished 13th overall, with a score of 366, at the Notre Dame Invite Oct.1. The Hawkeyes were paced by Brooke Eilers. The junior finished 41st overall, posting a time of 17:25. Not far behind was fellow junior Betsy Flood. She finished 45th after posting a time of 17:28. Senior Lauren Hardesty finished 69th. She ran a time of 17:42. Junior McKenzie Melander ran a time of 18:05 to finish 99th. Freshman Megan Ranegar ran a time of 18:15 to finish 115th. Kelsey Hart finished 119th. The sophomore posted a time of 18:18. Also competing for the Hawkeyes were senior Amanda Hardesty (143rd – 18:34), freshman Katherin Rehn (146th – 18:39) and freshman Hannah Luber (177th – 19:11).

LAST TIME OUT – MEN FINISH 14TH AT WISCONSIN INVITE
The men’s cross country team finished 14th overall, posting a score of 361, at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational Oct. 2. The Hawkeyes were paced by Jeff Thode. The sophomore finished 25th after posting a time of 24:04. Captain Mark Battista finished 47th. The senior turned in a time of 24:25. Fellow senior Sam Bailin posted a time of 24:38 to finish 69th. Three freshmen competed for the Hawkeyes. Andrew Smith finished 109th, running a time of 25:16. Nick Young turned in a 111th place finish. He recorded a time of 25:21. Jon Michael Brandt finished 114th after running a time of 25:25. Junior James Paul recorded a time of 25:35 to finish 119th.

UP NEXT
The University of Iowa cross country squad will return to action Oct. 31. Both teams will travel to Madison, WI, to compete at the Big Ten Championships.