STILLWATER, Okla. – University of Iowa men’s and women’s cross country got a preview of the NCAA Championship course this Saturday at the Weis-Crockett Invitational. In a loaded field, the men’s team was led by junior Nick Trattner and finished 17th, while the women’s team also earned a 17th-place finish led by top-finisher senior Emma Gordon.
The men’s 8,000 meter race started the day, with 241 runners competing. 19 of the 26 teams were ranked by the USTFCCCA in their respective regions. Iowa was paced by Trattner, who finished 39th overall with a time of 24:25.0. Sophomore Max Murphy finished second for the Hawkeyes, logging a time of 24:42.9. Trattner and Murphy were the top two finishers for the Hawkeyes for the third time this season. Freshman Miles Sheppard crossed the line in 25:09.7. Senior Konnor Sommer (25:13.8) and freshman Hayden Kuhn (25:54.0) rounded out the top five scorers for Iowa.
The team finished 17th out of 26 scoring teams, recording 426 points, an average of 24:59.9, and a spread of 1:03.3. Montana State earned the team title led by first-place finisher Duncan Hamilton, who crossed the finish line in 23:28.8.
In the women’s 6,000-meter race, 19 of the 26 teams were ranked by the USTFCCCA in their respective regions. Iowa was once again led by senior Emma Gordon. Out of 232 runners, Gordon finished 33th with a time of 21:33.5. Saturday’s performance marked Gordon’s fourth top finish in as many races for the Hawkeyes. Junior Brooke McKee crossed the line second for Iowa with a time of 22:10.4. Junior Kelli Tosic posted a time of 22:18.2. Juniors Amber Aesoph (22:44.0) and Ellie Twedt (22:51.4) wrapped up the top five for Iowa.
The Hawkeyes finished 17th out of 26 teams, recording 417 points, an average of 22:19.5, and a spread of 1:18.0. Oklahoma State’s Billah Jepkirui won the individual title with a time of 20:15.3, while California Baptist won the team title with 50 points.
HEAR FROM COACH HASENBANK: “Emma Gordon had another terrific race for the team. I thought the team competed hard the entire way. Brooke and Kelli ran solid races again today. I thought Amber had her best race of the season. The course was challenging and some handled it well. Others really needed this experience. On the men’s side, Nick competed well and led us today. He is a strength runner and that was a demanding course. He and Max both got out really well, maybe a bit fast that first 2k of the race. Nick held steady and Max faded the last 1,000-meters, but I think it was a very good experience for him. Konnor continues to be a consistent performer in the middle of the line up. Freshmen Miles Sheppard and Hayden Kuhn competed well today. I’m excited about the freshman class. Overall, aiming for a better result. We were just spread out on the course and did not compete as well as a team as we are going to need to do in two weeks.”
UP NEXT: The Hawkeyes travel to Champaign, Illinois for the Illini Open on October 21.
HAWKEYE RESULTS
Men’s 8,000-meters
39. Nick Trattner – 24:25.0
65. Max Murphy – 24:42.9
104. Miles Sheppard – 25:09.7
109. Konnor Sommer – 25:13.8
137. Hayden Kuhn – 25:28.3
157. Jack Pendergast – 25:41.4
172. Yohana Yual – 25:49.3
178. Kal Lewis – 25:54.0
186. Ian Geisler – 26:01.6
187. Aidan King – 26:01.9
196. Will Ryan – 26:08.4
Women’s 6,000-meters
33. Emma Gordon – 21:33.5
79. Brooke McKee – 22:10.4
90. Kelli Tosic – 22:18.2
124. Amber Aesoph – 22:44.0
134. Ellie Twedt – 22:51.4
135. Jalyssa Blazek – 22:52.3
142. Maddie Block – 22:55.4
149. Rowan Boulter – 23:00.4
161. Abby Ryon – 23:09.8
200. Claire Edmondson – 24:07.7