Hawkeyes Travel to NCAA Midwest Regional

Nov. 12, 2013

Weekly Release

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa men’s and women’s cross country teams travel to Ames, Iowa, for the NCAA Midwest Regional on Friday. The event will be held at the Iowa State Cross Country Course. The men’s 10,000-meter race begins at 12 p.m. (CT) with the women’s 6,000-meter race following at 1:15 p.m. (CT).

IN THE RANKINGS
The men’s cross country team is ranked 15th in the latest USTFCCCA Regional rankings.

REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
The Iowa women’s team has had at least one NCAA All-Region honoree every year since 2003. Mareike Schrulle and Megan Ranegar each earned the honor a year ago. Jeff Thode and Nick Holmes were named to the All-Region team in 2011.

ADVANCING TO CHAMPIONSHIPS
The top two teams and top four individuals not on an advancing team move on to the NCAA Championships on Nov. 23 in Terre Haute, Ind. Additional teams and individuals are chosen through an at-large selection process following the regional competition.

NATIONAL CHALLENGE
The Hawkeye women face two teams ranked inside the USTFCCCA Top 30. Those teams include Iowa State (7) and Minnesota (16). Oklahoma State also recieved 11 votes in the poll. The Hawkeye men will race against three of the nation’s top 30 teams. They include Oklahoma State (3), Tulsa (13), and Iowa State (24). Illinois, Minnesota, and Oklahoma also received votes.

CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE
Five Hawkeyes have previous NCAA Regional experience. Juniors Kevin Lewis and Ben Witt each competed at the 2011 and 2012 championships, while junior Sam Chaney and sophomores Caleb Wilfong and Courtney Martin ran at the event last season.

SPORTSMANSHIP HONOREES
Senior Shannon Maser and redshirt freshman Nate Ferree were named 2013 Sportsmanship Award Honorees by the Big Ten Conference on Nov. 6. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These student-athletes must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.

UP NEXT
The NCAA Championships is set for Nov. 23 in Terre Haute, Ind.