The Iowa women’s cross-country team finished eighth with a team score of 190 at the Big Ten meet in Verona, Wis., at Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross-Country Course Oct. 30.

Michigan State took first with a team score of 74, and Spartan senior Emily MacLeod won the 6K, finishing in just 19:54.

The Hawkeyes were not pleased with their performance.

“I thought it did not go very well,” junior Betsy Flood said. “And it was disappointing. But, I don’t know why. There is a place and time for everything, and today was not that time.”

Flood led Iowa’s pack and took eighth with a time of 20:36 for a personal-best finish. Iowa’s second runner, junior McKenzie Melander, came in at 21:14 for a 34th-place finish. Senior Lauren Hardesty followed closely behind Melander, finishing 44th with a time of 21:28, and sophomore Megan Ranegar took 51st coming in at 21:37. Ranegar finished just ahead of junior Brooke Eilers’ 53rd-place time of 21:41.

Senior Amanda Hardesty and sophomore Kelsey Hart also ran, finishing 64th and 70th, respectively, but did not contribute to the overall team score.

The Hawkeyes have been struggling to get strong performances from all of their runners in the same competition, but they are staying optimistic about the end of the season.

“I think the only thing we can really do is stay positive,” Lauren Hardesty said. “There is really nothing in a workout or practice we can do to change performances from here on out.”

— by Maggie Cunningham