By Adam Hensley
Iowa cross-country will make its season début today at the Ashton Cross-Country Course in the Hawkeye Invitational.
The women begin competition at 6 p.m., and the men are scheduled to compete at 6:45 p.m.
For Iowa, this meet is only the starting point. Associate head coach Randy Hasenbank, still new to the program, views the meet as a great opportunity to gauge where his athletes are at in their training and fitness levels.
“Really what I want to get out of [the Hawkeye Invitational] is an observation — just watch them run, see how they compete, and find out if we’re the type of competitor I want us to be,” he said. “These races are very revealing.”
Just as Hasenbank said, last season’s home-opener was eye-opening, especially for newcomers.
Sophomore Ian Eklin (then a freshman) ran unattached but snagged third place in his first competitive action of the season. Two other freshmen (now sophomores), Daniel Soto and Bailey Hesse-Withbroe, finished in the top 20.
On the women’s side, Madison Waymire finished fifth. That was her first race in a Hawkeye uniform following her transfer from Missouri.
In the end, neither team finished as well as the harriers had hoped. The men placed fourth, and the women finished third (out of four teams.)
The Hawkeyes see this year as another opportunity and want a better start to the season.
“[The goal] is just for our team to do well,” Waymire said. “It’s a home meet and our first meet of the year, so it’ll be nice to see everyone out in the Iowa uniforms.”
Michael Melchert echoed Waymire’s beliefs.
For the junior, Friday will be his third home-opener. Compared with last season, he anticipates electricity in the crowd because of added competition.
“There are a lot more teams this year, so that’s exciting to put on a show for the home crowd,” the native of Monticello, Iowa, said. “It’s nice to get the Iowa [fans] there and everything.”
The competition will include Illinois State, Iowa State, Illinois (men’s team), Wichita State, Creighton, Missouri, and Bradley.
Hasenbank’s first college cross-country coaching gig was with Wichita State, making a unique reunion for the former Shocker.
The head coach led Wichita State to the 2005 Missouri Valley cross-country title. He was also named 2005 Missouri Valley Cross-Country Coach of the Year and the 2006 NCAA Division 1 Midwest Distance Coach of the Year.
Despite all this — Hasenbank’s first meet for the Hawkeyes, tougher competition than in years past, and anxiousness to see how the runners progressed since last season — the team approached this week like any other.
“We didn’t make any changes in our training at all,” Hasenbank said. “We’re still training hard; it’s early in the season. We’re not making any adjustments in mileage, and everyone is still expected to get their full complement of work in. Everything is still full steam ahead.”
This will be the first opportunity of three for fans to watch the Hawkeyes at home this season. Iowa will also host the regional preview on Oct. 1 and the NCAA regional meet on Nov. 11.
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