depth was a problem for the Iowa men’s cross country team. The rest of the team couldn’t score points with the exception of Nick Trattner and Noah Healy.
The Hawkeyes are looking for new runners to help out now that Healy has graduated. They might have been found in three newcomers.
The three freshmen on Iowa’s cross country team led the Hawkeyes to a victory. The top six in the event were all from Iowa, leading to its first meet victory.
With veteran runners like Max Murphy and Trattner out for the race, Iowa was putting a lot of faith in its depth
The impact on Iowa’s depth and cross country in 2020 was great. Big Ten canceled the fall season because runners that came in as rookies missed an entire season. The Big Ten Championships were the only event in 2020.
Runners are suffering from a lack of training and competition.
Randy Hasenbank said that the depth was affected by the COVID year. In the fall sophomores missed a lot of the competition. They had no experience with 8K and 10K.
The lack of training for those races hurt the Hawkeyes. In races like the Big Ten Championships and the NCAA Midwest Regionals, Iowa showed a lack of fitness in the longer distances.
In the Big Ten Championships, Iowa finished 11th out of 12 teams and 13th out of 25 teams at the Midwest Regionals.
With a new trio of freshmen that can step up to the plate, Iowa is looking for the younger running to immediately contribute.
Ryan said that he wanted to help the team as much as he could. I am helping the team score points or I am helping the team get better every day. I am just here to help the team.
Seven of nine runners who competed in the Big Ten Championships are returning, along with three new promising freshmen.
Ryan was scared to join the team at first, but he quickly joined.
Ryan thought the seniors were going to mean when he arrived. They have been helping me out with laundry or trying to get me to practice on time. They have taught me how to perform our workouts correctly.
The Iowa cross country team won the opener.
The Hawkeye freshmen struggled at the Big Ten Preview. Sheppard was the only runner in the lineup who was not counted. Ryan was 46th and Kuhn was 52nd.
The jump from the 6,000-meter to the 8,000-meter race is one of the biggest challenges for younger runners. Some runners at the Hawkeye Invite ran the 6,000-meter for the first time and making the distance jump is important for success in the playoffs.
Hasenbank believes his runners are up for the challenge despite the early struggles of the freshmen.
Hasenbank said that the group is coming in with a little more volume than most freshman classes. Typically, you rely on your veterans to cover those long distances, but this is a group that could jump in and help out.
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