Iowa has high hopes for weekend competition
By Adam Hensley
In its last weekend competition before championship season begins, the Iowa cross-country program will split up for two meets.
Some Hawkeyes will travel to Peoria, Illinois, for the Bradley Classic, which starts at 3:30 p.m. today. The other group will run in the Pre-Nationals meet in Terre Haute, Indiana.
In its previous meet, Iowa put on a show for the home crowd on Oct. 1. At the Regional Preview, the men won the meet, scoring only 15 points and commanding all of the top-eight spots. Running unattached, transfer Adam Jones won the 8,000-meters, finishing in 25:09.0. The rest of the top five consisted of sophomore Daniel Soto, senior Anthony Gregorio, freshman Luke Sampson, and sophomore Ian Eklin.
Jones, a Samford transfer with eligibility in track, noted the focus going in the meet.
“We really just wanted to work on packing up,” he said. “Whenever you get to these big meets, like regionals and conference, it’s really easy to get lost in these big crowds of people.”
The women finished third. Senior Tess Wilberding led the way for the Hawkeyes, finishing second behind Northern Illinois’ Hope Schmelzle. Sophomores Andrea Shine and Lauren Opatrny placed 10th and 11th to round out Iowa’s top three.
Battling stress fractures throughout her freshman season last year, Opatrny failed to compete as much as she would have liked to, but this season — her first season injury-free with the program — she’s been quietly moving up in each race.
“Just really being able to have the opportunity to run has been really exciting,” she said.
At the Regional Preview, senior Ben Anderson and juniors Michael Melchert and Madison Waymire did not compete — head coach Randy Hasenbank valued the extra weekend of rest closer to championship season more than racing.
This gave the first-year head coach an opportunity to evaluate some of the younger runners in a competitive setting.
“I needed to assess the roster,” he said. “I don’t want them to put me in a position to guess who should go to the big meets at the end of the year. The roster is performance-based — the more opportunities, the better.”
This weekend, most of the school’s top runners are scheduled to compete in Terre Haute, while the younger athletes will get their action in Peoria.
The Pre-Nationals meet will draw top talent from across the country — essentially it gives coaches and runners the chance to preview the course, because the NCAA Championships will be held there on Nov. 19.
“It’s good to get on that course because we believe at some point we can get people in that meet,” Hasenbank said. “[Bradley] is a little more manageable. It’s a great meet.”
Last season, the Hawkeyes competed in the Bradley Classic on Oct. 16.
Melchert (third), Gregorio (10th), and Anderson (11th) headlined Iowa’s top finishes on the men’s team, which placed third overall.
The women finished seventh. Waymire (17th) and Wilberding (24th) were the only Hawkeyes to finish in the top 25.
Iowa did not compete in any sort of pre-national race last year.
Once the Bradley Classic and Pre-Nationals meet come to a close, the Hawkeyes will shift their focus towards the Big Ten Championship in Minneapolis on Oct. 30.