While the Northern Iowa football team gave the Hawkeyes a run for the money in Kinnick Stadium on Sept. 5, the Iowa women’s cross-country ran down the Panthers at home the night before.

Roughly 150 cheering Iowa fans lined the sides of Ashton Cross-Country Course for the Hawkeye Invitational on Sept. 4 to support the women in their opener.

At the end of the 1.8 mile race, the Hawkeyes finished with eight women in the top 10. Only one Panther finished in the top 10, and one unattached runner took fourth in the open race, resulting in a perfect score of 15 for the Hawkeyes.

“I was very pleased with the outcome, and I felt like we ran very well,” Iowa head coach Layne Anderson said. “I thought we might have had more of a race on our hands, but we pretty much raced ourselves. Regardless, I hope it’s a reflection of our race and not theirs.”

The four Hawkeyes to finish in the top five included Betsy Flood in first, Amanda Hardesty in second, Brooke Eilers in third, and Lindsay Anderson in fifth.

Many of the team members agreed the meet was successful because the Hawkeyes were able to run together as a pack and cross the finish line close together.

“It was really exciting, because all of our team ran really close together, and everyone ran faster than last year,” Flood said. “All of us being friends makes us want to help each other, so I think that’s what happened.”

Flood, a sophomore from Des Moines, finished with a time of 10:20 to win her first collegiate cross-country meet. She said she went into the meet with confidence because it was only a three-kilometer race rather than the usual six kilometers.

Anderson said all nine women who ran the meet last year improved their times significantly, which he said was a “good sign” for the rest of the season.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do, but I feel like if we continue to race in that fashion, we are going to put ourselves in a position to do special things,” Anderson said. “This is a relatively young group, so they should be together for a while. That certainly goes well for the future.”

While Iowa’s squad is made up of freshmen and sophomores, the Panthers also boast a youthful roster for the 2009 season with 12 freshmen and only one senior.

“I thought the Hawkeyes were really strong, and I thought they brought a lot of competition,” Northern Iowa freshman Lindsey Wilkins said. “They had a nice pack going.”

The pack mentality is Iowa’s strategy for the 2009 season. Since losing their two top finishers in Racheal Marchand and Sarah Spencer Perry to graduation, the women have been working to finish as a team rather than behind two defined leaders.

The Hawkeyes said they practice running as close together as possible, a method that proved successful in their first meet. However, Anderson said he is waiting for a few women to step up as consistent leaders for the rest of the season.

“I think it’s still early, so a lot will change,” Flood said. “Were so close, and I’m sure the order of who finishes first will change every meet for a while.”