Hawkeye cross-country finishes the regular season strong at the Bradley Pink Invitational in Peoria, Illinois.
By Hanna Malzenski
Iowa cross-country ended its regular season strong by taking on the Bradley Pink Invitational in Peoria, Illinois, on Oct. 13. As a team, the men won the 8,000-meter Red Race (84 points), and the women finished ninth in the 6,000-meter Red Race (204).
“Our goal was to come here and battle for a title,” head coach Randy Hasenbank said in a release. “While it’s only a regular-season meet, we still have a lot of young guys that need to learn to compete. They did that today.”
Three Hawkeyes in the men’s division finished in the top 20: sophomore Nathan Mylenek placed first with a personal-best 24:25.2, junior Daniel Soto finished 12th at 24:59.6, and not far behind was junior Bailey Hesse-Withbroe in 16th with a personal-best of 25:05.4.
“That front runner is crucial,” Hasenbank said in a release. “He gets us off to a good start, but it still takes five for the team score.”
The men finished in front of eight regionally ranked competitors, including No. 7 Nebraska (Midwest), No. 8 Missouri (Midwest), No. 11 Oakland (Great Lakes), No. 12 Bradley (Midwest), No. 14 Marquette (Great Lakes), and No. 15 St. Louis (Midwest).
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Other notable results for the men were Brandon Cooley (25:19.3), Luke Sampson (25:24.8), Karson Sommer (25:42.2), and Daniel Murphy (25:46.1), all personal bests.
On the women’s side, junior Andrea Shine ran strong, finishing second with a personal-best 20:47.3. Her result puts her ninth in Iowa’s top 10 in the 6,000.
“Andrea Shine was just terrific [on Oct. 13],” Hasenbank said in a release. “We talk about being fearless out there, and she is not afraid to stick her nose in there and compete. She’s fun to watch.”
The women finished ahead of three regionally ranked Midwest teams: No. 3 Missouri, No. 9 Kansas State, and No. 14 Illinois State.
Other strong contributors for the women included seniors Madison Waymire and Marta Gonzalez and sophomore Julie Hollensbe. Waymire was Iowa’s second-best finisher, ending 24th with a time of 21:36.8. Gonzalez placed 35th at 21:49.2, and Hollensbe placed 46th at 22:00.3, a personal-best.
With the regular season finished, the Hawkeye harriers will try to continue the momentum in the competitive postseason, which will start in Bloomington, Indiana, at the Big Ten meet on Oct. 29.