Nov. 17, 2010
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UPCOMING ACTION
Sophomore Jeff Thode and junior Betsy Flood will compete Monday, Nov. 22, at the 2010 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships.
THODE AND FLOOD QUALIFY FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
The duo qualified with their performance last Saturday as both earned all-region honors at the NCAA Midwest Regional. Thode placed fifth in the men’s 10,000-meter race with a school record-setting time of 29:55.78. It marked the second straight season he has earned all-region honors. Former Hawkeye Matt Esche set the previous men’s 10,000-meter record of 30:10 at the 2002 NCAA Regional Meet. Flood placed ninth with collegiate best 20:22.71, which is 14 seconds faster than the personal record she ran two weeks ago at the Big Ten Championships. It was her first all-region honor. Her time ranks fifth in school history.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Indiana State University will host the NCAA Championships Monday at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute, Ind. The women’s race will begin at approximately 11:08 a.m. (CT), followed by the men’s race at approximately 11:48 a.m. A live webcast of the championships will be broadcast from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (CT) on NCAA.com. The Hawkeyes last competed at the NCAA Championships in 2008. That year, the Iowa women’s team qualified after finishing fourth in the NCAA Regional. Jesse Luciano represented the Hawkeye men’s team after earning an at-large bid.
HAWKEYES AT NCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL
The Hawkeye men’s team placed seventh out of 24 teams with 215 points, while the Hawkeye women placed seventh out of 27 teams with 208 points at the NCAA Midwest Regional at Newman Golf Course in Peoria, Ill. Competing in the last cross country race of his Hawkeye career, senior captain Mark Battista placed 29th with a collegiate best time of 30:45.96. That time ranks ninth all-time at Iowa. Also posting collegiate bests for the Hawkeyes were juniors Sam Bailin (47th-31:15.05) and Chase Kadlec (56th-31:25.79), and freshmen Andrew Smith (86th-32:06.58), Jon Michael Brandt (32:13.31) and Nick Young (114th-32:47.64). Junior McKenzie Melander was Iowa’s second finisher, placing 27th with a collegiate-best 20:56.05. That time ranks sixth all-time at Iowa, and her finish just missed the all-region honors given to the top 25 placers. Redshirt freshman Megan Ranegar battled back from early season injuries to place 43rd with a collegiate-best 21:15.34, which ranks 10th in school history. Seniors Amanda and Lauren Hardesty placed 63rd (21:37.25) and 66th (21:40.91), respectively, in their final Hawkeye cross country event. Also competing for the Hawkeye women were junior Brooke Eilers (75th-21:47.36) and sophomore Kelsey Hart (87th-21:51.95).
IN THE RANKINGS
Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams are ranked in the latest USTFCCCA Regional rankings. The Hawkeye men’s team is ranked seventh in the Midwest Region and the women’s team is ranked fifth.
THODE, FLOOD NAMED ALL-BIG TEN
The Hawkeyes competed at the Big Ten Championships Oct. 31 in Verona, Wis. The Hawkeyes were led by Thode (9th-23:40) and Flood (8th-20:36). Both were named second team All-Big Ten.
BIG TEN HONORS
Senior Lauren Hardesty and Thode both earned Big Ten Weekly Runner of the Week honors this year. Hardesty was honored after leading the Iowa women’s squad to a win at the Hawkeye Invitational (Sept. 3). She finished first in the 3K event (10:21). Thode won the award after leading Iowa to a win at the Bradley Classic (Oct. 15). He finished second in the 8K event (23:37).
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.