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INTERVIEW WITH BETSY FLOOD
May 30, 2009
http://all-access.cbssports.com/player.html?code=iowa&media=129290

HAWKEYE ALUMNI TEAR UP THE ROADS
May 11, 2009
Recent Iowa Hawkeye All-Americans Racheal Marchand and Meghan Armstrong placed 4th and 5th at the inaugural U.S. Road Mile Championships last Thursday in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Running along the famed Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis both positioned themselves well over the first 1200m for a run to the tape. The running site at www.flotrack.com has video coverage of the event. Racheal can be seen wearing the white Mizuno top, while Meghan is wearing an all black Puma outfit.

The top American middle distance runner broke away from the field early with Sarah Hall in hot pursuit. Racheal and Meghan raced within the main pack through 1200m, at which time the push for the finish began. Racheal, Meghan, and Sara Vaughn began to pursue Sarah Hall and all three entered the final 100m looking to sprint home and sort out the places. Shannon Rowbury stopped the clock at 4:33, with Hall crossing in 4:39, Vaughn in 4:41, and Racheal and Meghan 0.1 seconds apart at 4:42.4 and 4:42.5. It was a great race for both Hawks as they prepare for the U.S. Track & Field Championships in late June at famed Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

This continues the tremendous year for Racheal and comes on the heels of a 5k PR of 15:41 for Meghan at the Mt. SAC Relays @ 3 weeks ago. Watch for more exciting news on both in the weeks and months ahead.

Hawkeye All-American Diane Nukuri recently raced to a 15th place overall finish at the Lilac Bloomsday 12k in Spokane, Washington. Diane covered the 7.46 mile distance in 41:01 to finish near the front of a race that had nearly 50,000 competitors. She split the 10k in 34:10 over the challenging course and is setting herself up well for a great summer of road racing and her ultimate goal to race at the World Championships in Berlin for her home country of Burundi.

MARCHAND NAMED IOWA ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
May 7, 2009

As we wind down another successful year at the University of Iowa we wanted to share with you several pieces of exciting news from our program. For the third consecutive year a member of the Iowa Women’s Track & Field\Cross Country Program was selected as the University of Iowa Female Student-Athlete of the Year. Joining Kineke Alexander (2007), Diane Nukuri (2008) was this years recipient, Racheal Marchand.

Racheal capped off an outstanding career by earning Midwest Region Runner of the Year honors last fall after finishing 3rd at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships and winning the NCAA Midwest Region individual cross country title. She followed that performance with a 5th place overall finish at the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana. This past March she followed up her outstanding fall with a 3rd place finish in the 5k at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in College Station, Texas. Her PR of 15:55 placed her in exclusive company at Iowa and made her one of a select few to ever break the magical 16 minute barrier. She opened her outdoor season with yet another breakout performance over 5k, when she raced to a 15:39 at the Stanford Invite. Her time qualifies her for the USATF Sr. Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

On the academic side of the program the Women’s Cross Country Program was selected for its sixth consecutive Academic All American Team Award as announced by our coaches association. The Track & Field Program will look to earn its fifth consecutive award this spring.

REGIONAL QUALIFIERS HIGHLIGHT WEEKEND
April 10, 2009

The Iowa Hawkeyes enjoyed a very successful weekend of competition at the Sun Angel Classic in Tempe, Arizona and the Lee Calhoun Invite at Macomb, Illinois. Four NCAA Midwest Regional qualifying performances led the way for the team. Senior Renee White opened her outdoor season with a qualifying leap of 12.57 m (41-03) and is starting to show the form that led her to a school record 43-10 last spring. Fr. Karessa Farley, an All-American indoor in the 60m hurdles bettered her lifetime best and posted a qualifying time of 13.78. This marks ranks as the 5th best in school history. The Fr. duo of Betsy Flood and McKenzie Melander continued their impressive development with Regional qualifying marks in the 1500m. Just as with indoors Betsy and McKenzie stopped the clock within .01 of each other at 4:27.33 and 4:27.34. Their times rank as the #8 an #9 time all-time at Iowa. So Tiffany Hendricks continued her breakout season with another outstanding performance over 400m. Last weekend at Auburn she posted a lifetime best of 56.26. This past weekend she followed that performance up with a time of 56.58 and will aim to break the 56 second barrier before the end of the season. All total it was a great weekend for our entire program as numerous lifetime best performances were achieved. Many of the results are detailed below:

100m - Rhonda Kaye Trusty opened her outdoor campaign with a time of 12.12

100m hurdles - Karessa Farley posted a lifetime best and NCAA Regional mark of 13.78 (#5 all-time)

400m - Tiffany Hendricks enjoyed consecutive weekends of 56.2 and 56.5, dropping her PR from 57.9 last year.

800m - Jennie Docherty and Bethany Praska began their quest for a Big Ten 800m final with season opening performances of 2:14 and 2:15. Jennie has also run 4:37 the previous weekend,, which was an 11 second PR.

1500m - Fr. Betsy Flood and McKenzie Melander raced to NCAA Regional marks of 4:27.33 and 4:27.34 to move into the all-time list @ #8 and #9. Both will look for even faster times down the road. The 1500m has been an event where the distance group has seen some great improvements. A number of the ladies listed below are preparing for longer races (5k & 10K) and used the 1500m to work on speed development. A number of them are also Fr. and their times convert to a time faster than their PR from H.S. last year.

Amanda Hardesty – 4:32 (PR by 13 seconds from last year)
Brooke Eilers – 4:34 (H.S. 1600m PR of 4:58 so this converts to a 4 sec PR)
Jennie Docherty – 4:37 (PR by 11 seconds)
Sarah Henize – 4:40
Lauren Hardesty – 4:40 (PR by nearly 2 seconds)
Rachel Hawks – 4:42 (PR by over 20 seconds from last year)
Brittany Dlhy – 4:43 (PR in H.S. last year was over 5 min)
Sarah Perry – 4:43 (PR by over 5 seconds from her last 1500m at Grinnell College)
Katie Ellis – 4:44 (PR by 1 sec over last year)
Danielle Berndt – 4:46 (Right at her H.S. best last year for 1600m converted)

3k Steeple - Hannah Roeder – posted an NCAA Regional mark last weekend at Auburn with a time of 10:40.8 She ran 11:43 last year at the MUSCO Twilight after transferring in from UCLA. Her time came in a race with only 4 other runners and was a 28 second PR.

4 x 100m relay - Opened the season with a very solid time of 46.90.

Triple Jump - Sr. Renee White opened her quest for All-American honor with a leap of 41-03 for the win.

Weight Throw - Sr. Mandy Chandler continues her improvements and has now bettered her lifetime best by over 6 feet from one year ago.

Post Collegiate News: Sr. Racheal Marchand completed her eligibility with a 3rd place finish at the NCAA meet over 5k and has continued to take her running to another level. Two weeks after the NCAA indoor meet she raced her way to an incredible time of 15:39 over the 5k distance at the Stanford Invite. This averages out to just at 5:01 per 1600m and would have been good enough for an 8th place finish overall at the Olympic Trials last summer.

Diane Nukuri continues her training as she prepares for summer racing and a goal to represent Burundi in Berlin at the World Championships this summer. She will race at some of the top road races in the U.S. this summer with and looks to improve her times and performances from last summer.

Next Meet: The team will return to action at the Messersmith Invite at UNI before competing in the historic Drake Relays next Thur through Sat at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

On Iowa! Go Hawks!

 

FAST TIMES ON THE WEST COAST
March 27, 2009

The Iowa Hawkeyes opened the 2009 outdoor season this past weekend in Palo Alto, California with some solid performances. Fr. Betsy Flood and McKenzie Melander opened up the outdoor campaign right where they left off this past indoor season placing 2nd and 3rd in the 1500m with times of 4:31. 42 and 4:31.70. The race was tactical early, however, both managed to maneuver through the crowd and position themselves for a sprint finish over the final 400m. Both closed in 70 sec indicating clearly the potential to run much faster. With the NCAA Midwest Regional standard of 4:27.80 I can see both racing at the Championship in May at the University of Oklahoma.

Several Hawkeyes debuted over the longer distances as well on Friday night with Fr. Brooke Eilers leading the way over the 5k distance. After redshirting the indoor season Brooke raced for the first time since CC and posted a very solid time of 17:20. She was followed by So. Amanda Hardesty who also debuted at the longer distance after a successful indoor season in which she placed 8th in the Big Ten 3k. She finished with a time of 17:33 and both by season’s end could challenge the NCAA Regional standard of 16:52.

After completing her Hawkeye career three weeks ago with a 3rd place finish in the NCAA 5k Racheal Marchand wasted little time taking her career to the elite level. She bettered her lifetime best for 5k outdoors by a whopping 48 seconds and crossed the line in 15:39.9 for 2nd place overall. Although early I the outdoor season her time is the 2nd fastest time run by an American this year and qualifies her for the U.S. Championships in Eugene, Oregon. She split 1600m in 5:04, 3k in 9:26, and closed the final 1600m in 4:56 which has me optimistic that she can go even faster in the near future.

So. Jolly Burke made her long awaited debut at the 25 lap 10k race. After sitting out the past year recovering from a fractured sacrum suffered in a fall last year she returned to action with a time of 36:06 for the 10k distance. She has completed some solid work, but is far from race fit and will benefit a great deal over the next 8 weeks from some continued training, but more importantly some quality racing. Jolly is a young lady who missed being an All-American in CC two years ago by one spot so there is no doubt that the talent is there to do great things now that she is back to full running.

Recruiting is going very well with 18 new Hawkeyes set to join the program this fall. We are still working on several All-American caliber athletes, who would certainly put the finishing touches on an outstanding recruiting class.

Next Meet: Auburn Tiger Classic on April 3rd and 4th.
On Iowa! Go Hawks!

THREE HAWKEYES EARN ALL-AMERICA HONORS
March 18, 2009

COLLEGE STATION, TX -- Hawkeye sophomore Karessa Farley earned Iowa's third all-America honor of the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships Saturday afternoon at College Station, TX. Farley placed sixth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.23 to become the first Hawkeye in women's school history to earn all-America honors in that event.

Iowa's other two NCAA competitors - seniors Racheal Marchand and John Hickey - earned their all-America honors Friday. Marchand placed third in the women's 5,000 meters with a time of 15:59.44 to become Iowa's first all-American in that event since Tracy Dahl in 1993. Marchand, who picked up her fourth all-America honor with the performance, finished half a second out of second place and edged the fourth-place finisher by .11 seconds. She is Iowa's third two-time all-American in cross country and seventh two-time all-American in track. Hickey placed ninth in the men's shot put with a throw of 60-3 3/4. He is Iowa's first two-time all-American in that event since Jeremy Allen (2000, 2001).

The Iowa women's team placed 27th with nine points. Tennessee won the women's team title with 42. The Hawkeyes will open the 2009 outdoor season March 27 at the Stanford Invite in Stanford, CA.

IOWA'S NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS

WOMEN'S 60-METER HURDLES FINALS RESULTS

1. Tiffany Ofili, Michigan 8.00
2. Celriece Law, Tennessee 8.04
3. Kristi Castlin, Virginia Tech 8.07
4. Aleesha Barber, Penn State 8.20 (8.193)
5. Tiki James, Central Florida 8.20 (8.195)
6. Karessa Farley, Iowa 8.23
7. Jackie Coward, Central Florida 8.34
8. Vanneisha Ivy, North Carolina 8.43

WOMEN'S 5,000 METERS - TOP FIVE FINISHERS
1. Sally Kipyego (Texas Tech) 15:51.14
2. Frances Koons (Villanova) 15:58.92
3. Racheal Marchand (Iowa) 15:59.44
4. Bridget Frank (Penn St.) 15:59.55
5. Danette Doetzel (Providence) 16:00.45

Hawkeyes Run Records at Iowa State
February 15, 2009

The Iowa Hawkeyes were led by three NCAA qualifying marks this past weekend at the Iowa State Classic. So. Karessa Farley hurdled her way into the record books with a school record and NCAA mark of 8.30 in the 60m hurdles. She executed to near perfection in the finals to win the event and post her first ever NCAA mark. Sr. Racheal Marchand continued her excellent year with an NCAA mark of 16:18.23 over the 5k distance. Her marks currently ranks 10th on the NCAA list and is the 6th best mark ever by a Hawkeye. Sr. Renee White has worked diligently over the past few weeks on her approach and for the first time this season was able to mark some legal jumps. The end result was an NCAA mark of 41-07.75 and her 2nd best jump ever indoors. She has posted some fouls this season that were out over the 42 foot mark so she will look to hit a big one and defend her Big Ten title from one year ago in two weeks.

All total it was a very exciting weekend as 15 athletes posted collegiate best performances. Several of the Fr. are beginning to establish themselves at the collegiate ranks with Betsy Flood and McKenzie Melander running their way to the 9th and 10th best performances ever by a Hawkeye over the mile distance (4:51.75 and 4:51.76) Both closed the final 400m in 71 seconds giving us optimism that even faster times lie ahead in the upcoming meets. Listed below are the names and performances for those individuals who established collegiate bests this past weekend.

Lisa Mellecker – 60m (7.91)
Karessa Farley – 60m hurdles (8.30; NCAA mark, school record)
Tiffany Hendricks – 200m (25.61)
Lisa Mellecker – 200m (26.22)
Brittany Dlhy – 800m (2:16.96)
Jackie Laesch – 800m (2:21.31)
Susi Kuhl – 800m (2:22.41)
Betsy Flood – Mile (4:51.75; #9 all-time)
McKenzie Melander – Mile (4:51.76 ; #10 all-time)
Hannah Roeder – Mile (5:01.07)
Rachel Hawks – Mile (5:08.66)
Katie Ellis – 3k (10:06.59)
Amanda Hardesty – 3k (10:15.17)
Danielle Berndt – 3k (10:19.57)
Racheal Marchand – 5k (16:18.23; NCAA mark, #6 all-time)

A number of individual also posted solid performances that may have fallen just short of their collegiate best mark.

Renee White – 60m hurdles (8.69)
Renee White – Triple Jump (41-07.75)
Bethany Praska - 600 yds ( time converts to 1:32 for 600m, which is @ 1 sec better than her PR)
Jennie Docherty – 800m (2:17.18)
Sarah Henize – Mile (5:05.93)
Lauren Hardesty – Mile (5:01.60)

Academic News:
For the 6th consecutive year the Women’s Cross Country Team will earn All-Academic Team Honors by virtue of their 3.328 cumulative team GPA for the Fall semester. The official announcement will be made by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association in March.

Next Meet:
The Hawks will compete in the friendly confines of Iowa City this Friday in their final tune-up before the Big Ten Championships.

Recruiting News:
To date the Hawks have signed 7 high school seniors to join the Hawkeye Track & Field/Cross Country programs for the 2009-10 academic year. Additionally, we have added 10 invited walk-ons to the program as well as we continue to build our depth. Once we have received all the paperwork back from the recruits we will officially post a release detailing the accomplishment of this outstanding group. It is a very talented group and spans a variety of event areas. We are currently still working on several additional recruits who could solidify this recruiting class as one of the best classes ever at Iowa.

On Iowa! Go Hawks!

Hawkeyes Soar to Personal Best Marks at Notre Dame
February 9, 2009

The Iowa Hawkeyes took full advantage of the opportunity to compete on one of the top tracks and against elite competition this past weekend at the Meyo Classic in South Bend, Indiana. Numerous seasonal and collegiate bests were posted over the course of the two day meet. Racheal Marchand led the way with a collegiate best of 9:35.25 over the 3k distance for the 8th best time in Hawkeye history. She was a mere .45 away from an NCAA provisional mark and is setting up well for a run at the 5k qualifier in the weeks ahead.

Sprinters Rhonda Kaye Trusty, Karessa Farley, and Bethany Praska all led the team in the speed department. Rhonda tied her lifetime best over the 60m distance with a time of 7.61 and bettered her PR over the 200m distance with a clocking of 24.44. She is fast approaching NCAA marks and moving up the ranks all-time at Iowa. Karessa Farley fell just .02 shy of her best from one year ago with a time of 8.48 in the 60m hurdles. She is .05 away from the NCAA mark and really starting to look great in her training and racing. Bethany Praska continues to show the talent she displayed in H.S. when she won the Colorado state 400m title. For the second meet in a row she bettered her PR crossing the line in 56.42 and solidified her spot on the all-time list at #10. Also sprinting to great performances over the weekend were Tiffany Hendricks and Nicole Erickson, who both posted lifetime best performances over 400m and Renee White in the 60m hurdles.

The middle distance and long distance groups showed a nice progression from the meet two weeks ago at Minnesota and Fr. Betsy Flood opened her first collegiate mile with a time of 4:56.86. She split 2:28 and 2:28 for both 800m splits and should challenge for even faster times over the next month. Another member of our super Fr. recruiting class, McKenzie Melander continued her super rookie campaign with an outstanding time of 9:55.53. She was followed closely by fellow Fr. Lindsay Anderson in 10:03.81. Our team has been hit hard by the cold and flu bug and both ladies are battling through the final stages of the cold. Hannah Roeder put herself in the mix early, crossing the 3k split on 17:20 pace, however, she fell off the pace late and crossed in 17:55.

All total the team came away with 12 collegiate best performances and continued solid preparation for the upcoming Big Ten meet in three weeks. With a very young team and several key individuals redshirting or working back into racing\competition shape the Hawkeyes will be challenged to match the success of the past few years. We are very pleased with the progress of our Fr. and So. classes as they are the future of our program and showing tremendous potential for the future. Seniors Racheal Marchand and Renee White are legitimate Big Ten Champion contenders in the triple jump and 5k and are leading this very young squad.

Recruiting is going very well and we will be announcing and outstanding class in the next week or two. It will be highlighted by student-athletes in a variety of event areas to include the throws, sprints, jumps, and distance events. Additional prospects are still visiting campus and we anticipate a few more elite level additions in the months ahead.

The Hawks return to action this week at the Cyclone Classic at Iowa State against another exceptional field. Be on the lookout for another update next week on all the exciting performances turned in over the weekend.

On Iowa! Go Hawks!

Hawks Place 24th and Marchand Runs to All-American Honors
November 24, 2008

Running in her final collegiate cross country race, Racheal Marchand certainly saved her best race for her final one. Predicted to finish 23rd in the pre-race preview Racheal stormed her way to a 5th place overall finish against the best cross country runners in the nation. Her time of 19:54 seconds was a 33 second PR and makes her the 2nd Hawkeye to break the magical 20 minute barrier.

This race was not without enough anxiety already, but after her win at the Regional meet Racheal was ill for 3 days last week raising concern on my part about how much gas she might have left in the tank if the pace was fast early. As predicted the pace was fast early with the leaders out in 5 min and 10 min through the mile and 2 mile. Racheal raced as planned within the main pack of @ 15 runners and split the 2 mile in 10:28. As the pack gave chase it dwindled down to 6 runners who would battle for the 4-9 spots. Racheal assumed the lead and continued to push in an effort to eliminate anyone’s opportunity to outkick her the final 400m. Only Brianna Felnagle from UNC was able to remain with Racheal and just edged her out by a little over a second for 4th place.

Racheal’s performance ranks second only Diane’s 4th place finish last year for individual NCAA places during my time at Iowa. It capped an incredible season that saw her run a PR every time she raced , place third at the Big Ten Championships, win the Midwest Regional and earn Regional Runner of the Year honors.

The team arrived in Terre Haute ranked 23rd and when the final results were posted the Hawks placed 24th overall. Only 9 points separated the 21st to 25th place team so it was a tight team battle. With 5 athletes running at the NCAA meet for the first time it was great to see them put their heart into the entire 6k. I have no doubt that each individual left everything they had out on the course. Sarah Perry posted a time of 21:20 to cross as the second Hawkeye. Hannah Roeder posted a lifetime best of 21:39, followed by Brooke Eilers (21:52), Betsy Flood (21:53), Amanda Hardesty (22:06), and Fionna Fallon (22:31). It was a total team effort all year and with a young group and the return of redshirts and the addition of recruits the Hawks could be poised for another great year in 2009.

The Big Ten had strong representation at the NCAA meet with six schools and placed 10th, 11th, 12th, 16th, 21st, and 24th showing the overall strength of the conference. We will now take a short break and then turn our attention to the upcoming Indoor season. Our theme this fall was, “New Team. Same Dream.” We realized our dream yesterday at 12:08 P.M. when the starter fired the gun and the Hawks and 30 other teams raced toward their goals.

On Iowa! Go Hawks!

Marchand Leads Hawks to NCAAs - 2 Earn All-Region Honors
November 17, 2008

The 20th ranked Iowa Hawkeyes raced their way into the 2008 NCAA Championships behind the individual Midwest Region Champion Racheal Marchand. This is the 3rd consecutive year that the Hawkeyes have crowned the individual champion and advanced as a team to the NCAA meet with an at large bid.

On a windy and blustery day in Stillwater, Oklahoma Racheal ran patiently in the main pack before making her decisive move with 800m remaining. She passed through the 3k mark in 10:16 and ran an identical 10:16 for the final 3k to win by 7 seconds in a time of 20:32. She was certainly very strong over the final 3k as it was covered over hilly terrain and on wood chip trails. Her performance has set her up well for the NCAA Championships next Monday and will make her the leading candidate for Runner of the Year honors in the Midwest Region. Diane Nukuri won the Midwest Regional in 2006 and 2007 and Runner of the Year honors both times so this would be a wonderful accomplishment for Racheal.

Also joining Racheal on the All-Region team was Graduate Student Sarah Perry who raced her way to a 22nd place finish in a time of 21:33. She was patient early and moved up over the second half of the race. Just as Racheal did sarah was fairly even with her splits. Brooke Eilers, Hannah Roeder, and Betsy Flood rounded out the scoring for the Hawks in 31st, 39th, and 40th.

As a team the Hawks finished 2 points behind Nebraska in 4th place overall. Just as we had the past two years the team waited until Sunday night for the NCAA field to be announced after the 13 at large teams were determined. By virtue of our wins over Providence (Northeast Region Champion) and New Mexico (Mountain Region Runner-up) at the Pre NCAA meet the Hawks secured points, which ultimately set them up to gain an at large bid.

The Hawks will board the bus Saturday with the hopes of doing what they have done the past two years. In 2006 the team headed to Terre Haute ranked 23rd and finished 17th. Last fall the team lined up ranked 20th and finished 10th. More than likely we will head to the NCAA meet ranked somewhere in the 20’s and will look to perform well under out ranking.

I am very excited about this group and what they have accomplished. Of the 7 athletes who will line up on Monday only one lined up for the team last fall so this is essentially an entirely new group. They are well prepared and excited to represent Iowa in their quest to bring home another top 20 finish.

On Iowa! Go Hawks!

The Iowa Hawkeyes Travel South to Auburn & Enjoy Great Success
October 6, 2008

The Iowa Hawkeyes Cross Country team traveled south to the Auburn University and posted an outstanding 3rd (one point out of 2nd) place team finish in the 23 team field. Led by All-American Racheal Marchand who ran a lifetime best and #2 all-time at Iowa 5k of 16:15 to place 5th overall. The field was loaded with CC and Track & Field All-Americans and Racheal demonstrated that she has the potential be one of the top Collegiate runners this fall. Sarah Perry continued her outstanding transition from Division III to Division I with a lifetime best of 16:50. Both Sarah and Fr. Brooke Eilers (16:53), who ran with Sarah the entire way have been battling a cold for @ 2 weeks so I am excited to think about where they will be in the weeks ahead once they are back to full strength.

A strength for the Hawks this fall will be our ability to race in packs. Fr. Betsy Flood led the Hawkeye pack of 6 runners with a PR time of 17:34, and was followed closely by So. Amanda Hardesty (17:36; PR), Jr. Fionna Fallon (17:39; PR); So. Lauren Hardesty (17:40; PR0, Fr. McKenzie Melander (17:45; PR), and Fr. Lindsay Anderson (17:56). Lindsay took a fall after being tripped about 100m into the race and McKenzie was forced to stop and hurdle her teammate. Both ladies spent the entire race working through the pack and without the fall would have been right with the 17:34-17:40 group. To have your 4-10 runners all within 6+ seconds of one another is a great indicator for the future.

This group will now focus on closing the gap to Sarah and Brooke and with the potential for these 9 ladies to get closer to Racheal our prospects down the road look promising. With this only being the second race of the season for most and coming off of 5 weeks of quality training I still feel very good about our groups chances to get better in the weeks ahead. I feel as though we are only at @ 85% with regard to our fitness and this race, the Pre NCAA meet, and more training over the next 6 weeks should provide us with the remaining 20%.

Jennie Docherty rebounded well from her last race and posted a lifetime best of 18:17. Up next for the Hawks in two weeks is the Pre NCAA meet in Terra Haute. This will be an excellent opportunity and we will test ourselves against the top programs in Division I CC. The past two years we have earned at large points at this meet that have helped us qualify for the NCAA Championships. Our goals heading to Terre Haute are to set as many lifetime bests as possible and to beat as many teams as possible in an effort to gain points.

For now we get back into two solid weeks of training and look to gain additional fitness toward our goals of returning to Terre Haute.

New Team….Same Dream….

2008 Iowa Hawkeye Cross Country Preview
August 23, 2008

The Iowa Hawkeyes head into the 2008 season after completing one of the most successful seasons in school history last fall. With the departure of All-Americans Diane Nukuri and Meghan Armstrong the team will be led by 2006 CC and 2008 Track (10k) All-American Racheal Marchand. Racheal completed her most successful Track season at Iowa with an 8th place finish at the NCAA Championships over the 10k distance. He level of performance throughout her career establishes her as a legitimate contender for the individual Big Ten title and a top 20 finish at the NCAA meet. Jr. Jolly Burke will look to continue the success of her So. campaign where she placed 44th at the NCAA meet and missed All-American honors by less than a second. She was a member of the U.S. World Jr. CC team in 2007 and was All-Big Ten and All-Region last fall. Transfer Sarah Perry will add some firepower at the front with her previous collegiate experience and success as a 2-time Division III All-American in CC. She has a lifetime best of 21:28 for 6k CC and was the 2007 Drake Relays 10k Champion.

Our returning group of sophomores and juniors could prove to be the real key to our success this fall. Krista Anderson, Lauren Hardesty, Amanda Hardesty, Fionna Fallon, Hannah Roeder, and Katie Ellis will look to enjoy breakout seasons and challenge for a spot in the top 7. Krista, Lauren, and Amanda all raced in the top 5 at different times last year and will relay on that experience in 2008. Despite our success the past two seasons the one element missing from our program has been the quality depth required to make a run at a top 5 NCAA finish. With the addition of such an outstanding Fr. class we should reap the benefit of some quality depth. Lindsay Anderson, Brooke Eilers, McKenzie Melander, Danielle Berndt, Betsy Flood, Brittany Dlhy, and Jackie Laesch all enjoyed successful H.S. careers. Lindsay was a 2-time Footlocker finalist and 4-time state CC champion. Brooke enjoyed a successful spring in winning the Michigan State 3200m title and posting a time of 10:37 for the full two mile distance. Betsy Flood set state records this spring in Iowa and showed great range from 800m (2:11), through 1500m (4:33) and 3k (9:58).

Both McKenzie and Danielle come to Iowa as two of the top runners in Minnesota last year. Both have placed very well at the state CC and Track & Field meets, with 3200m times of 10:49 and 10:52. Danielle was a H.S. All-American last winter in Nordic Skiing and both have excellent potential for the future. Both Brittany and Jackie will look to make a quick transition to collegiate training. Brittany was the 2A State Runner-up for the 800m last spring and a leader for the Little Hawks of Iowa City High the past two seasons. I am optimistic that several members of the Fr. class will be running in scoring positions for the Hawks this fall and will challenge for Big Ten Fr. of the Year honors.

In thinking ahead to our goals for the fall I believe strongly that this group has enough experience and talent to once again lead the Hawks to Terre Haute. We have individuals who should challenge for All-American honors as we have the past two years, but we have some additional depth that we have lacked in the past. Our gap from 4-7 should be much closer with that our potential to place high should we qualify is great. It will be a fun year and we are all eager to start.