Iowa women’s cross-country head coach Layne Anderson considered freshman Megan Ranegar his top recruit for the 2009 cross-country season — and now he is sitting her for the remainder of the season.

Anderson first considered redshirting the Valparaiso, Ind., native two weeks ago following a foot arch injury that kept her out of practice.

And just as her injury was healing, she was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection that kept her out for another two weeks.

“It’s a really smart decision on Coach’s part because of everything that has happened this season,” Ranegar said. “A few weeks ago, I was against the idea because I came here to run and to race, but I realized this will help me as an individual and will help the team down the road.”

Anderson agreed holding back his prized signee would ultimately benefit both her and the team.

“Redshirting is never a negative,” Anderson said. “There’s no doubt five years from now, she will be light years ahead of where she is today.”

At the beginning of the season, the six-year Iowa head coach viewed Ranegar as someone who could have a breakout season as a freshman. Now that she is unable able to compete, though, she will have to postpone that breakout.

The young runner said she is unsure whether she will use her extra year of eligibility to run for a fifth season.

“I’m just going to have to wait and see if a fifth year is in the cards for me,” Ranegar said. “Four years is a long time to develop as a runner and as a person. It could be a good situation, because as a fifth-year [senior] I won’t be dealing with the whole adjustment to college.”

She came to Iowa with an impressive cross-country résumé. As a junior at Valparaiso High School, she finished second in the state cross-country championship. She also won an all-conference cross-country title and three all-conference track titles.

Valparaiso has a history of sending cross-country runners to compete for Iowa, and Ranegar is the fourth to join the Hawkeyes since 2003. Racheal Marchand, who graduated in 2008, started the trend at Valparaiso.

Junior sisters Amanda and Lauren Hardesty are also Valparaiso graduates, and Ranegar said she chose to come to Iowa based on the success of her former high-school teammates.

Meanwhile, after a few weeks of resting, cross training, massaging, and wearing a night splint, Anderson said Ranegar is in “much better shape.”

But Ranegar said her arch injury could be a “lingering” problem throughout her career. Although it is common in runners, the arch is a difficult area to fully heal.

However, she is confident she will be able to compete for Iowa during the indoor track season. She said she doesn’t mind running with “a little discomfort.”

Anderson said he isn’t worried about the fate of the distance team.

“We’re fortunate to have a fair amount of depth to fill the spot where she will be absent,” he said. “At this point, I feel like we have other folks who are capable of stepping in to fill her shoes.”