COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Iowa men’s and women’s cross country competed at the Gans Creek Classic on Friday morning. Sophomore Max Murphy, junior Nick Trattner and senior Emma Gordon finished in the top 15 in their respective races.
The men’s 8,000-meter race kicked off the event, with Murphy (23:44.8) and Trattner (23:56.8) setting personal bests and leading the Hawkeyes. Murphy finished fourth, while Trattner crossed the line in 12th. With his 8,000-meter time, Murphy cracked the school’s Top 10 all-time record list, standing alone in sixth. Senior Konnor Sommer came in third for Iowa, clocking a career best (24:37.7). Sophomore Ian Geisler ran his personal best (24:46.8) and freshman Miles Sheppard (24:49.8) rounded out the top five for Iowa.
Nine Hawkeye men set personal records at the event, including Murphy, Trattner, Sommer, Geisler, sophomores Yohana Yual (24:59.0), Aidan King (25:14.8), Eli Ward (26:29.4), as well as freshmen Elijah Naumann (25:39.7) and Brayden Burnett (25:41.2).
The team finished sixth out of 22 teams, recording 188 points, an average of 24:23.2 and a spread of 1:05.1. Ezekiel Rop of Iowa State won the race (23:34.2) and led the Cyclones to the team title.
In the women’s 6,000-meter race, Iowa set 10 personal records, including four of the top five runners. Gordon led the way with a personal best of 20:53.6, which is good for 10th all-time at Iowa in the 6k. Junior Brooke McKee also recorded her best time, finishing in second for the Hawkeyes with a time of 21:20.6. Junior Kelli Tosic had another strong showing, crossing the line in 21:31.3. Rounding out the top five were personal bests from freshman Jalyssa Blazek (21:45.0) and senior Maddie Block (21:49.4).
Juniors Abby Ryon (22:18.4), Ellie Twedt (22:26.1), Claire Edmondson (22:57.9), sophomore Kaitlin Knape (23:49.6), as well as freshmen Rowan Boulter (22:42.5) and Aleah Tenpas (23:18.8) set personal bests.
Iowa finished in seventh out of 24 teams, earning 204 points, an average of 21:28.0, and a spread of 55.9. Olivia Howell of Illinois led the Fighting Illini to the team title with a time of 20:21.1.
HEAR FROM COACH HASENBANK
“Max and Nick are strong and ran with a lot of confidence. Those two are very talented and fit. I am excited to see what they can do this season. Really pleased with the competitive races that Konnor Sommer and Yohana Yual put together. They showed significant improvement on that course from a year ago. Ian Geisler competed very well on the back half of the course. If he gets going sooner, that will make a big difference for us in the team score. Miles Sheppard had a really nice run, breaking 25 minutes in his first 8k. Not where we wanted to be in the team standings, so plenty of work to do between now and the next competition.
I thought our women competed very well in a much tougher and far deeper field than a year ago. Emma’s time would have won this race last year. We had a very aggressive start to the race, which was the plan. As a result, we competed better as a team. We lost ground the last 1,000 meters, but overall a much better performance than our last race. Emma had another terrific performance. 20:53 is a great time and significant improvement (43 seconds) over last year on the same course. Brooke and Kelli put together very nice performances today. Jalyssa had a great race in only her second 6k. Maddie, in the five spot, was a minute faster than last year on the same course. I can’t forget to mention the huge improvements that Abby Ryon and Ellie Twedt have made. Really proud of how hard they have worked to improve themselves. Still work to do but moving in the right direction.”
UP NEXT: The Hawkeyes head to Stillwater, Oklahoma on October 15 to compete in the Weis-Crockett Invite.
HAWKEYE RESULTS
Men’s 8,000-meters
4. Max Murphy – 23:44.8
12. Nick Trattner – 23:56.8
50. Konnor Sommer – 24:37.7
67. Ian Geisler – 24:46.8
71. Miles Sheppard – 24:49.8
83. Yohana Yual – 24:59.0
91. Jack Pendergast – 25:06.4
96. Hayden Kuhn – 25:10.9
104. Aidan King – 25:14.8
126. Kal Lewis – 25:32.5
130. Will Ryan – 25:34.0
140. Elijah Naumann – 25:39.7
143. Brayden Burnett – 25:41.2
150. Isaac Hartman – 25:46.7
163. Carson Houg – 26:00.6
185. Eli Ward – 26:29.4
209. Nate Harbert – 27:22.3
Women’s 6,000-meters
14. Emma Gordon – 20:53.6
34. Brooke McKee – 21:20.6
42. Kelli Tosic – 21:31.3
61. Jalyssa Blazek – 21:45.0
66. Maddie Block – 21:49.4
99. Abby Ryon – 22:18.4
113. Ellie Twedt – 22:26.3
123. Amber Aesoph – 22:39.5
126. Rowan Boulter – 22:42.5
142. Claire Edmondson – 22:57.9
160. Aleah Tenpas – 23:18.8
165. Ana Barroso – 23:25.4
184. Kaitlin Knape – 23:49.6
206. Bryce Gidel – 24:47.2