Following an encouraging performance at the Gans Creek Classic in Columbia, MO., the University of Northern Iowa women’s cross-country team faced a short turnaround before competing at the Dan Hutson Invitational. Just one week after their trip to Missouri, the Panthers sent a small squad to Waverly, IA., to compete against other Midwestern teams. Since the invitational came so shortly after UNI’s hardest effort of the season at Gans Creek, the Panther women opted to hold some of their runners back, while the Northern Iowa men chose not to race at all. Both groups are preparing for next week’s Bradley Pink Classic, which will serve as their final regular-season meet of the year.
Just five Panthers competed on Wartburg College’s Max Cross-Country Course, but they fought to a fifth-place finish out of 15 teams. The race’s start time of 10:45 a.m. brought about unusually high temperatures for an October day, as the thermostat crept near the 80-degree mark and surpassed it during the competition. Additionally, fierce winds with gusts exceeding 20 mph made for a formidable day on the grass. Yet, it was sophomore Liza Schaffer leading UNI in her first-ever race over the 6k distance. Schaffer placed seventh in 22:53.9 for a strong opener. Freshman teammate Sarah Fedderson was not far behind, running a new personal best of 23:02.5 for 11th overall. Brooke O’Brien was the next Panther across the finish line, earning 14th in 23:09.3. Trailing O’Brien was Kayla Young, who ran 24:33.1 on her way to finishing 39th overall. Kaylin Lacher rounded things out for Northern Iowa, completing her 6k debut in 25:06.7 for 62nd place.
The No. 28-ranked team in NCAA Division III, Central College Dutch, comfortably captured the team title with 61 points. Molly Liston of Gustavus Adolphus was the race’s individual champion with a time of 21:45.7.
Both UNI men’s and women’s teams will travel to Peoria, Ill., to compete in the Bradley Pink Classic on Oct. 17. Although the meet’s start list is currently unavailable, the Panthers can expect similar competition to the 2024 event, with multiple Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) and Power 5 universities in attendance. Each squad will have to compete well to improve on its standing from last year, especially with the losses of school records holders Caleb Shumaker and Emma Hoins to graduation. Nevertheless, the meet serves as an excellent opportunity for Northern Iowa to gauge its standing against other conference opponents heading into the MVC Championships on Oct. 31.
