WHY DO I WANT TO BE A HAWKEYE?
Deciding where to go to college is a major decision and the first big one you will have to make in your young life. We truly believe that the University of Iowa provides the serious student-athlete with the opportunity to get a first class education, while at the same time participating in Big Ten athletics. The bonus is the truly unique experience you will enjoy during your four years in Iowa City. We view our commitment to those young ladies who join our program as a lifetime commitment. Long after you have completed your degree and your eligibility the relationship you developed with coaches and fellow Hawkeyes will continue to grow. We hope that at some point and time if you have not done so already you will consider a trip to Iowa City to spend some time taking a behind the scenes look at this truly unique and special place. Below are some of the things Iowa City has to offer.
 
Excellent Academics -
With more than 100 areas of study Iowa boasts a national and international reputation. Among its 11 colleges, Iowa boasts extraordinary strengths in the humanities and arts as well as in the health sciences. Yet, because our campus is so compact and Iowa City is a smaller city, we are free of the distractions, inconveniences, and security concerns that plague many other major metropolitan areas. Iowa offers research opportunities for undergradutes. U.S News & World Report ranks Iowa the 21st best public national university. It’s true we’re not a “small” school per say, with 20,000 undergraduates. But we are the smallest public school in the Big Ten Conference. Iowa admitted 4,021 Freshmen this fall (out of 13,880 applicants). The average GPA of the entering Freshmen was 3.53 and the average test score was a 1200 SAT. Currently there are former student-athletes who are in medical school, law school, and graduate programs in addition to those already pursuing careers in the professional sector. Current members of our team are pursuing their undergraduate degrees in a variety of majors, with 31 of the 46 earning above a 3.0 for the 2005 spring semester.
 
Great Support -
With Coaches Anderson, Grant, and Houston the University of Iowa offers you a solid experienced coaching staff that is dedicated to your athletic and academic success. All three coaches have coached athletes that have participated at the highest level of international competition. In addition to the immediate track and field team, your support system will include academic counselors, academic advisors, athletic trainers, and tutors. As a student-athlete at Iowa you would have access to the Gerdin Academic Learning Center. It provides our student-athletes with quiet study areas only minutes from their dorm room. There are two large study “lounges”, private rooms for tutoring sessions or group projects, and a 30 station computer lab. The book depository allows scholarship student-athletes to “checkout” their books for each semester and the academic counselors on site are there to assist students with planning their schedules or to provide career counseling as they advance through their coursework.
 

Iowa City -
Centered 240 miles southwest of Chicago, this city of 62,000 set on the winding Iowa river is a pocket of cultural, social, and acedemic sophistication with the appeal of small-town America. Despite the small town feel, downtown Iowa City offers a variety of exciting activities. Its epicenter is a charming, tree-lined Pedestrian Mall that includes locally owned specialty stores, dining and entertainment options. Iowa City has three museums and several locally run bookstores, ethnic restaurants, cafes with gallery space, and organic grocers line the brick streets, and summers are a whirl of jazz musicians, artists, and food vendors. Entertainment in Iowa City is very affordable as we are home to numerous museums and festivals that are FREE to the public. Experience anything from history to jazz to art, such as the Friday Night Concert and Saturday’s Just Jazz series, which features festive outdoor musical guests. The campus and the downtown are intertwined, which makes getting around and easy task. The Coral Ridge mall has an ice rink, most major stores to include Abercrombie and Fitch, Gap, and Old Navy, and a super sized movie theater. Membership in the Big Ten Conference presents students with the opportunity to enjoy a Saturday afternoon in historic Kinnick Stadium to watch the Hawkeyes play football or Carver Hawkeye Arena during the basketball season. The state of Iowa also has 41,000 acres of lakes and 90 state parks, recreation areas, and preserves, giving locals plenty of room to roam.

- Consistently ranked in the News & World Report "Best Places to Live"
- Expansion Management magazine named Iowa City the No. 3 most-livable city in the United States
- USA Today ranks Iowa City/Coralville the third most-educated metropolitan area in the United States
- Outside magazine places Iowa City as one of the top 10 college towns in North America.
- Iowa City is one of the ten most literate and enlightened town in the nation, according to the American Booksellers Association

 
Career Opportunities -
Iowa boasts a graduate placement of 90% for it's students. While student athletes are given an extra edge with their sport specific academic councelor to assist in career and post graduate preparation, the Career Center also provides internship advising, career fairs, placement officers, on campus research opportunities, pre-professional programs, and graduate school preparation.
 
Places to Run - Iowa City and the surrounding areas may be one of the best parts of being a Hawkeye runner. Located in the center of the campus is the Indoor track facility which served as host to the 2003 Big Ten Women's Indoor Championship, a beautiful outdoor track facility, and the University of Iowa's dededicated cross country course. As one of only a few schools in the nation to have it's own cross country course, the course can hold races up to 10,000 meters and gives the Hawkeyes a competitive advantage when given the priveledge of hosting meets like the 2005 NCAA Midwest Regional Championships. Only a ten minute drive and you can be on limestone trails at Kent State Park, the wooded trails of Lake MacBride, or the endless unpaved country roads of Iowa. Varying the training surface allows Iowa runners to maximize their training while minimizing injuries. Take a look through the photo section of hawkeyeharriers.com and you can see pictures of many of the training venues.
 
Great Teammates -
One of the biggest advantages you will have as a Hawkeye is the support you will get form your teammates. Once you commit to Iowa you become an integral part of the Hawkeye family. You will make some of your best friends in Iowa City and be part of the running program. We currently have student-athletes from Canada, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, England, and ten different US states. The University of Iowa is a University with a national and international reputation and it is for this reason we are able to attract students from around the U.S. and the world.
 
Great Travel Opportunities -
Being a Big Ten school affords the cross country and track & field teams several opportunities to travel to compete in many of the countries most prestigious meets. Each year the season begins with a pre-season camp at a ski lodge in Galena Illinois. The Hawkeyes have also been, or plan to go to, Oregon, California, Florida, South Carolina, Texas, Maine, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Michigan.
 

If you think you would make a great Hawkeye, contact Coach Anderson at hawkeyecc@hotmail.com.
Learn more about the Hawks here!