By Adam Hensley
As Hawkeye cross-country continues to impress observers, other coaches are taking note.
Iowa entered the regional rankings for the first time this season on Sept. 12. The men are No. 13 in the Midwest Region, and the women are No. 12.
“It was a motivational factor for us to be out of the rankings,” senior Ben Anderson said. “Our team motto is ‘climb the mountain,’ and that’s what we’re doing.”
Both the men and women’s teams failed to make the cut on the preseason poll to start the season, and coach Randy Hasenbank used it as bulletin-board material for his team.
According to the coaches’ association website, the rankings are chosen by coaches from each of the regions.
Viewing this as a chip on their shoulder, the Hawk runners and coaches interpreted an unranked preseason as motivation to prove themselves.
“We look forward to competing against all [Midwest teams] because clearly the coaches’ consensus is that we’re barely a top-15 team,” Hasenbank said. “There’s not a team in [the Midwest Region] we can take lightly.”
He spent time with both Wichita State and Loyola before joining the Iowa program. Both teams sit in the Midwest, and the coach knows just how competitive the region can be.
Oklahoma State leads both the men’s and women’s Midwest region and has been the model of success for the sport for more than seven years.
During a four-year span from 2009-12, the Cowboys dominated in the men’s division, winning three national championships while finishing as runner-up once.
“They’ve got a great program with a lot of history,” Hasenbank said.
Aside from the Cowboys, the state of Oklahoma controls both the men’s and women’s rankings in the Midwest. Oklahoma and Tulsa round out the top three on the men’s side, and Tulsa sits at fourth in the women’s rankings, while Oklahoma is seventh.
Iowa State remains in the top five in both rankings.
However, while the intensity heightens when going head-to-head against powerhouse teams, the Hawkeyes embrace competing against teams that they share connections with.
Madison Waymire, who transferred to the program after her freshman season, has a favorite matchup.
“Personally, I like competing against Missouri,” the former Tiger said. “I have a lot of friends who run for the team.”
Minnesota also came up in conversation.
Having run against the Gophers throughout his college career, Anderson believes Iowa and Minnesota are similar teams — both in fitness levels, competition, and running style — and he said some Hawkeyes have friends on the team.
The Midwest Region is a consistent contributor on a national level, so being ranked is a step in the right direction for the two teams. However, it’s just the start.
Iowa has plenty to prove, not just to the rest of the region but to teams across the country.
“We have big meets ahead for the rest of the year,” Anderson said. “At the end of the day, [rankings] are just rankings. It’s really how you perform at the meets. We just want to go out and execute.”