The men’s cross-country team had a disappointing finish at the Pre-National Invitational in Louisville, Ky., on Oct. 13. The harriers tallied a team score of 783 and placed 33rd among the 40 teams.
Although it was a poor showing, there was a positive turn of events for senior captain Nick Holmes. In previous meets, he finished in the middle or back of the pack, but this time, he crossed the finish line first for the Hawkeyes.
Holmes finished the 8,000-meter race at 24:18 to finish 81st individually. Junior Jon Michael Brandt followed closely behind Holmes, with only 22 seconds between them to come in at 24:40 with a 127th-place finish.
The third harrier to cross for the Hawkeyes was a surprise: Freshman Anthony Gregorio came in with a time of 24:59 to finish 164th. It was Gregorio’s first top-three finish within the Iowa team.
Rounding out the team were sophomores Kevin Lewis at 25:09 in 189th place and Ben Witt at 25:32 in 221st place.
“I am particularly happy with our top three finishers (Holmes, Brandt, and Gregorio),” head coach Larry Wieczorek said in a release. “We have three pieces of the puzzle, and if we can get the fourth and fifth men there, then I think we will be an improved team by the Big Ten championships.”
The Hawkeyes will have a lot to work on in their week off before they return to action on Oct. 28 for the Big Ten cross-country championships at Michigan State.
— by Jalyn Souchek