IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa junior Nick Trattner led the men’s cross country team to a victory on Thursday at the 2021 Hawkeye Invite on the Ashton Cross Country Course with a second-place finish in the men’s 6,000-meter race. Trattner crossed the line in 18:22 – good for seventh-fastest in program history for the event. The Hawkeyes’ 35 points was 69 points less than the next fastest team.
“I was thinking, I am not losing to him,” Iowa junior Nick Trattner said. “So, I sent it and I kept going. He pushed me super hard, everything in my body was moving. I almost got him, and now I know what I can do later in the season and I know I can finish.”
Two other Hawkeyes joined Trattner in the top five. Senior Noah Healy finished fourth in 18:26 and Jack Pendergast rounded out the top five, finishing in 18:46. Sophomores Ian Geisler and Kal Lewis, who were each running in their first Hawkeye Invite, finished in 10th and 14th place, respectively, to round out the scoring in a dominant effort by the Hawkeyes.
“Our men went out a little aggressive, but they are well trained and have been putting in the miles,” University of Iowa cross country coach Randy Hasenbank said. “Nick [Trattner’s] strength is exactly what I’ve seen in practice, I knew he would be strong at the end. Noah [Healy’s] job was to start putting his mind in the place up front because he’s a tremendous runner on the track, and he can make huge improvements for the team. Kal [Lewis] hasn’t raced in a long time, he didn’t run any cross races last season, but he had a breakout season on the track and we need him in cross country.”
On the women’s side, the Hawkeyes finished third with a score of 81 points. Sophomore Kelli Tosic led the way for Iowa with an 11th-place finish (14:23) in the women’s 4,000-meter race. Junior Gabby Skopec was right on Tosic’s heels, finishing 13th in 14:25. Ankeny freshman Lauren McMahon (16th), senior Emma Gordon (19th), and freshman Miriam Sandeen (22nd) rounded out the top-five scorers for Iowa.
“We’ve been out of action for so long, and that resulted in a lot of angst about where each athlete was at. Training is one thing, and racing is another,” Hasenbank said. “Our women were very patient today and a couple of the young runners ran very well. Tosic, Skopec, and Gordon are important runners for us, and we are going to lean on them. We had two very good performances by our freshmen. Miriam Sandeen and Lauren McMahon competed well and worked together very well.”
Up next for the Hawkeyes is the Dirksen-Greeno Invite in Lincoln, Neb. On September 18.