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Cross Country
Panthers Head to MVC ChampionshipsOct. 31, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format THIS WEEK IN PANTHER CROSS COUNTRY
Saturday, Nov. 1 MVC Championships Springfield, Mo.
The University of Northern Iowa cross country team heads to Springfield Mo. for the Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championships hosted by Missouri State this Saturday, Nov. 1. The women’s 5k race will begin at 12 p.m. with the men’s 8k race following at approximately 12:45 p.m. The meet will take place at the Missouri State Cross Country Course.
LAST TIME OUT... Propelled by a first place overall finish by senior Caedryn Schrunk the University of Northern Iowa women’s cross country team earned a second place finish at the Bradley Classic Friday evening. The Panther men came in eighth place overall, led by senior Mike Clancy.
Schrunk cut thirty seconds off her season-best performance, finishing the women’s 6k race in 21:24. Freshman Carly Olsen followed closely behind, earning her fourth top-ten finish of 2008, taking sixth place overall with a time of 21:45, also a season-best time. Danielle Nowasell also took home a top ten performance, taking the tenth overall spot in a time of 21:55. Andrea Wacker finished 17th, clocking in at 22:19, also a season-best performance. Jessa Schweitzer took 62nd place overall, finishing in 23:17.
On the men’s side, all of the Panther runners shaved significant time off their previous season-best performances in the 8k race. Clancy finished first for the Panthers and 15th overall, crossing the finish line in 25:40, nearly a whole minute faster than his previous season-best of 26:39. Alex Mark finished second for the Panthers, and 43rd overall, with a time of 26:21. Freshman Andrew Perkins took 51st place, clocking in at 26:40, shaving over a minute and half off his previous time of 28:09.
MVC WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW The UNI women tallied 65 points and the fifth spot, as the Panthers welcome back three of their top-five runners, including three-time all-Valley performer Caedryn Schrunk. Junior Andrea Wacker and freshmen Carly Olsen and Danielle Nowasell are members of the Panther supporting cast, collaborating to fill the shoes of 2007 MVC runner-up Traci Hawley (Full Pre-Championship poll on page 4).
MVC MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW UNI men’s cross country team was picked sixth in the pre-championship poll, garnering 30 points. The Panthers return two runners who competed in last season’s championship, in senior Mike Clancy and sophomore Corbin Miller.
PANTHER WOMEN REGIONALLY RANKED The UNI women’s cross country team retained their spot in the Oct. 27th release of the USTFCCCA Midwest Regional rankings, holding at No. 15. The Panthers jumped into the standings following their performance at the Roy Griak Invitational (Sept. 27). Two other MVC schools held their spot the rankings including Missouri State (8) and Wichita State (10).
SEASON BEST PERFORMANCE All of UNI’s runners competing at the Bradley Classic improved their times, recording season-best times. Caedryn Schrunk cut thirty seconds off her season-best performance, finishing the 6k race in 21:24, giving her the fourth fastest 6k time in the Valley. On the men’s side, senior Mike Clancy finished the men’s 8k race in 25:40, nearly a whole minute faster than his previous season-best time.
SCHRUNK NAMED MVC ATHELETE OF THE WEEK Caedryn Schrunk, the lone senior for the Panther women, has shown leadership through example this season and earned Missouri Valley Conference Female Athlete of the Week honors for the week of Oct. 14. At the Lamb-Kohawk Invitational, Schrunk tooktop honors, finishing in a season-best time of 21:54. That was Schrunk’s second first place finish of the season, as she took top honors at the Hawkeye Invitational (Sept. 12). Schrunk has been the top finisher for the Panthers in three of their four meets this season.
PERFECT SCORE The Panther women showed their power at the Lamb-Kohawk Invitational (Oct. 11) as they took the top five spots to tally a perfect score. Schrunk took top honors, followed by Carly Olsen, Danielle Nowasell, Andrea Wacker and Jill Lageschulte. Olsen, Nowasell and Lageschulte all recorded season-best times in the meet.
OLSEN EARNS MVC ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS Freshman Carly Olsen has shined for the Purple and Gold in her short career as a Panther. At the Roy Griak Invitational Olsen was the top finisher for the Panthers, crossing the finish line in the 6k race with a time of 22:06, good for 25th place out of 333 competitors. As a true freshman this season, Olsen opened her collegiate career at the Hawkeye Invitational and finished second overall with a 3K time of 10:44.09. Olsen continued her success at the Iowa State Open, recording her second top-ten finish of her collegiate career, coming in 10th place with a 6K time of 22:28.00.
MAKING HER MARK EARLY Despite the young look of the Panther women’s cross country team, they continue perform well against the nation’s best. Freshman Carly Olsen competed in just her second collegiate career against some of the nation’s top cross country programs, finishing in the top ten. Olsen came across the finish line 10th with a 6K time of 22:28.00 at the Iowa State Open. Olsen continued to perform well against some of the nation’s best, finishing 25th at the Roy Griak Invitational with a time of 22:06.
FINISHING AMONG THE BEST Despite being a young squad, the Panther women’s cross country team put on an impressive performance among some of the nation’s top-ranked cross country teams. At the Roy Griak Invitational, the Panthers finished eighth of 25 teams. The meet featured four teams which are recognized in the week’s USTFCCCA’s rankings, including Minnesota (4), Arizona State (7), New Mexico (18) and Duke (26).
AN IMPRESSIVE DEBUT The Hawkeye Invitational marked the debut for three freshman on the Panther women’s cross country team. Carly Olsen finished her first collegiate race in second place, clocking in at 10:44.09. Danielle Nowasell came across the finish line in fifth place with a time of 10:56.29 and fellow newcomer Jill Lageschulte finished seventh in 11:12.47.
FINISHING WHERE SHE LEFT OFF Senior Caedryn Schrunk picked up right where she left off last season as one of the Panthers top runners. Schrunk crossed the finish line first at the Hawkeye Invitational, clocking in a time of 10:39.58 to take the top honors. Schrunk was also the top finisher for the Panthers at the Iowa State Open, finishing 6th overall in a time of 22:14. Schrunk was the second of the Panthers to cross the finish line at the Roy Griak Invitational, finishing the 6k race in 22:27 for 39th place overall.
SEASON PREVIEW Women Despite having just seven athletes, including three freshmen, on the women’s roster and a new coaching staff, the women look to build on last year’s team that finished third at the Missouri Valley Championships.
The clear-cut leader for the young Panthers this season will be Caedryn Schrunk (Spirit Lake, Iowa/ Spirit Lake). Schrunk was a consistent top-two finisher for the Panthers last season, earning All-MVC honors with a 5-kilometer time of 17:43.51. Schrunk’s personal best in the 6K came at the Bradley Classic (21:18).
Jessa Schweitzer (Aurora, Iowa/East Buchanan) and Andrea Wacker (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Kennedy) are also returning for their junior seasons. Schweitzer recorded her season-best in the 6K at the Bradley Classic, clocking in at 23:21. Wacker was the consistent third finisher for the Panthers throughout the 2007 season. Wacker finished 87th at the NCAA Midwest Regional, with a sesason-best time of 22:14 in the 6K race.
Sophomore Regina Reinig (Portsmouth, Iowa/Harlan) returns for a second season with the Panthers. Reinig finished 37th at the MVC Championships, with a 5K time of 18:59.33.
Rounding out the women’s roster are newcomers Jill Lageschulte (Marshalltown, Iowa/Marshalltown), Danielle Nowasell (Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell) and Carly Olsen (Missouri Valley, Iowa/Logan-Magnolia).
David Paulsen enters his first year as assistant track and field and cross country coach, after spending two years as head cross country coach at Central College in Pella, Iowa.
MEN STEADY IMPROVEMENT Though a young squad, the Panther men have made steady improvement throughout the season. Last week nearly every runner surpassed their season-best time. Freshman Jason Mitchell cut off considerable time from his 8k mark, cutting off 17 seconds.
YOUNG GUNS The Panther underclassmen have made a significant impact this season, as freshmen Aaron Vosberg and Mike Cooper finished second and third respectively for the Panthers at the Iowa State Open. Vosberg finished 25th with a time of 28:15.36, while Cooper came in 28th with a time of 28:43.99. Jason Mitchell, Brady Fritz and Alex Mark finished 30th, 31st and 32nd respectively and David Nielson came in 35th.
SENIOR LEADER As the only returning senior for the Panthers, Mike Clancy as shown his leadership qualities through example. At the Lamb-Kohawk Invitational, Clancy took third place overall in a time of 26:39. Clancy has been the top finisher for the Panthers in three of their four meets, as he was the first to cross the finish line first for the Panthers at the Iowa State Open, clocking in a time of 27:49.40 in the 8K race. Clancy finished first for the Panther men at the Roy Griak Invitational, coming in 156th place with a time of 26:50.
SEASON PREVIEW Much like their female counterparts, the Panther men enter the 2008 season with a young squad, setting their sights on moving up in the Missouri Valley Conference standings.
UNI lists just two seniors on the men’s cross country roster, with Mike Clancy (Iowa City, Iowa/West) the only returning member. Fellow senior Mike Stout (Perry, Iowa/Perry/Univ. of Iowa) is a transfer from the University of Iowa and will start his career in the Purple and Gold this fall.
Clancy recorded the best 10K time for the Panthers last season, clocking in at 32:32 at the NCAA Midwest Regional, finishing 82nd overall. Clancy’s season-best in the 8K came at the Bradley Classic with a time of 25:54.
Joining Clancy and Stout this season will be returning underclassmen Corbin Miller (Marshalltown, Iowa/Marshalltown) and Jason Mitchell (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls). Miller recorded his season-best finish at the Bradley Classic, finishing the 8K in 26:41.
Rounding out the rest of the men’s roster are seven freshmen including; Mike Cooper (Dayton, Iowa/Southest Webster), Brady Fritz (Iowa City, Iowa/West), Alex Mark (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls), David Nielsen (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Northern University), Andrew Perkins (Watertown, Wis./Watertown), Nate Nissen (Marion, Iowa/Marion) and Aaron Vosberg (Farnhamville, Iowa/Prairie Valley).
MVC POLL: UNI WOMEN FIFTH, MEN SIXTH The Panther women received 62 points in the MVC’s preseason coaches poll. Missouri State took the top spot in the poll, taking six of the first-place votes and 95 overall points. Wichita State followed in a close second with 91 points and three first-place votes. Illinois State and Southern Illinois tied for third place with 69 points.
The UNI men’s squad was tabbed to finish sixth and garnered 35 points in the preseason poll, which named Southern Illinois (77 points) the league’s preseason favorite.
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