Sept. 2, 2011
Photo Gallery | Women’s 4K Results | Men’s 6K Results
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa cross country teams went 1-1 at the Iowa Open to kick off its 2011 season Friday evening at the Ashton Cross Country Course in Iowa City. The Hawkeye men’s team defeated Illinois State (18-39) while the women’s team suffered a 32-23 defeat.
Iowa All-American junior Jeff Thode won the 6K men’s event with a time of 19:01, while the Hawkeye freshman Kevin Lewis finished second with a time of 19:19. Junior Nick Holmes rounded out the top three with a time of 19:28. Also finishing among the top 10 finishers were freshman Even Selsor (19:37), sophomore Jon Michael Brandt (19:43), and freshman Ben Witt (20:06).
“I thought it went real well,” said men’s head coach Larry Wieczorek. “We’ve got a developing team, and some new faces. I thought it was a very good start for us. We executed the way we wanted to, and we ran together in a pack.”
Illinois State freshman Krista DeCeault won the 4K women’s event with a time of 14:19. The top finisher for the Hawkeyes was junior Kelsey Hart, finishing third with a time of 14:42. Sophomore Nicole Benson (14:56), sophomore Katherin Rehn (15:00), senior Jackie Laesch (15:12), and sophomore Megan Ranegar (15:22) all finished in the top 10 for the Hawkeyes.
“We had some highs and lows,” said women’s head coach Layne Anderson. “Obviously some lows with the weather. We would love for it to be a little bit cooler. With the folks we had I thought we ran well in some spots, and need to get better in some spots. There are people out there that we will be counting on down the line. We have to get people in good shape and running well so when the stakes go up we are ready to take on the challenges.”
The Hawkeyes will return to action Sept. 16, hosting the Iowa Invitational.