XC Notebook: Pre Nationals Invite

THIS WEEK
University of Iowa cross country travels to the Pre-National Invite on Saturday morning at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo. The women’s 6,000-meter race kicks off competition at 10:00 a.m., with the men’s 8,000-meter race to follow. Admission is $10.

LAST TIME OUT
University of Iowa cross country returned to the Joe Piane Invite for the first time since 2023 on Oct. 3. Sophomore Elena Torres climbed into the program’s top-10 list in the 5,000 meters with her 16:47.1 finish. Iowa tallied four personal bests in the men’s 8,000-meter invite. The Hawkeye men were led by Miles Wilson, who finished with a time of 24:01.6 in his season debut. Overall, the women placed 13th with 363 points and the men placed 15th with 352 points.

B1G HONORS
Elena Torres was the Big Ten Women’s Athlete of the Week following her performance at the Hawkeye Invite, where she won the 4,000 meters in a personal-best 13:44.6. Luke Knepp won the men’s edition of the award two weeks later after leading the Iowa men at the Roy Griak Invite in 26:06.7 in the 8,000 meters. Freshman Ella Magallan has secured two Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards for her performances at the Hawkeye Invite and the Joe Piane Invite. 

IN THE RANKINGS
The Hawkeye women made their debut on the rankings starting off at 12th after an impressive first meet. In the most recent rankings by the USTFCCCA, the Hawkeye women were slated in the 15th spot heading into the Pre-National Invite.

WOMEN’S TOP RUNNERS
Sophomore Elena Torres has led the group in every race so far this season. Senior Jalyssa Blazek finished third at the 2025 Hawkeye Invite and has finished top three  for the Hawkeyes in all three meets. Sophmore Hillary Trainor set a new personal record to secure seventh at the Hawkeye Invite and came in as the third finisher for the Hawkeye women at the Roy Griak Invite. She placed second for the Hawkeyes at the Joe Piane Invite. Also running well for the Hawkeye women has been Ella Magallan. Magallan has collected two Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards, and was one of the top five finishers for the Hawkeyes at the Joe Piane Invite. 

MEN’S TOP RUNNERS
Redshirt sophomore Luke Knepp led the men’s group in each of the first two races. Freshman Elias Arbuckle placed sixth in the 2025 Hawkeye Invite with a time of 18:09.0, ranking him fifth all-time at Iowa in his very first collegiate race. Arbuckle finished in the top ten among freshmen in his first two meets this season. Kyle Montgomery was seventh in the opener with a time of 18:11.3, moving him into seventh all-time at Iowa. He also was the second Hawkeye men’s runner to finish at the Roy Griak and Joe Piane meets. Miles Wilson crossed the line first for the Hawkeye men in his season debut at the Joe Piane Invite with a time of 24:01.6.

HAWKEYE NEWCOMERS
This season, Iowa welcomes four newcomers to the 2025 roster. Freshmen Owen Wolfe, Spencer Alf and Elias Arbuckle join the men’s team this fall. The women’s team added one new freshman in Emma Magallan. These four look to have just as big of an impact as last year’s newcomers. Last season, Iowa relied on several newcomers. On the women’s side, Elena Torres was recognized twice as Big Ten Freshman of the Week, earning the honor for her performances at the Big Ten Preview and Gans Creek Classic. She was also named Iowa’s September Woman Athlete of the Month. Additionally, Marissa Long and Hillary Trainor placed among Iowa’s top five runners in the team’s first two races. The men’s team also saw strong performances from its then-freshmen. Kyle Montgomery and Ethan Eichhorn were key contributors, finishing among Iowa’s top five at multiple meets. Montgomery excelled at the Hawkeye Invite, Gans Creek Classic, and Bradley Pink Classic, while Eichhorn secured top-five finishes at the Hawkeye Invite, Big Ten Preview and Bradley Pink Classic. 

LOCAL FOCUS
Of the 23 athletes on the Hawkeyes’ cross country team, 15 hail from the state of Iowa. Audra Soderlind comes to the Hawkeye State from Illinois. Two Hawkeyes - Marissa Long and Miriam Sandeen - are Minnesota natives. Spencer Alf (Wisconsin), Armaan Chopra (Virginia), Ella Magallan (Texas), Kyle Montgomery (Indiana) and Elena Torres (Colorado) represent their respective states in 2025.

PRE NATIONALS INVITE 2019
Back in 2019 the University of Iowa men’s cross country team placed 10th out of 38 teams at the Pre-National Invitational in Terre Haute, Indiana. Iowa finished the 8,000-meter race with 322 points. Nathan Mylenek qualified as an individual to the national meet. The women ran the 6,000 meters for the first time that season and placed 24th overall with a team total of 597.

LINK UP WITH THE HAWKEYES 
For an inside look at the Iowa cross country program and to access exclusive coverage, “like” The University of Iowa Cross Country and Track & Field Facebook page and follow the Hawkeyes on X (@IowaXC_TF) and Instagram (@iowaxctf). Follow live results at hawkeyesports.com/tracklive.

UP NEXT
Iowa enters the postseason with the Big Ten Championships in East Lansing, Michigan, on Oct. 31.