It was a successful Friday afternoon for the Northern Iowa cross-country teams at the RedBird Invite. The women’s team finished in second place in the six kilometer race while the men finished third in the eight kilometer race. 

The women’s team had three runners finish in the top 10. Emma Hoins led the team placing second with a career-best time of 21:35. Amelia Hill finished in seventh place with a time of 22:04, followed by a ninth place finish by Melody Ochana with a time of 22:18. 

The Panthers had two more runners who nearly cracked the top 10. Eden Mueller finished in 12th place with a time of 22:24. Trailing her in 14th place was Leah Klapatauskas, finishing with a time of 22:34. 

Rounding out the final runners, Brooke O’Brien finished 20th with a career-best time of 22:55, while Clare Wright finished 23rd with a time of 23:13. Lauren Klein 34th with a time of 23:43. 

The men’s team was led by fifth place finisher Caleb Shumaker, who ended with a career-best time of 24:38. Carson Owens wasn’t far behind Shumaker, finishing one spot outside the top 10 with a career-best time of 25:02.   

The next runner to finish for the Panthers was Micah Rees, placing 20th with a time of 25:33. Jackson Bergman and Levi Hill followed up Rees, both making the top 30. Bergman finished 26th with a time of 26:08 while Hill finished 29th with a time of 26:14. 

Caleb Kass and Drew Dombrosky both finished in the top 40.  Kass placed 38th, finishing with a career-best time of 26:42, while Dombrosky placed right behind him in 39th with a time of 26:46. Josh Gormley followed behind finishing 49th with a time of 27:12. 

Both the Panthers men’s and women’s team will look to build off this performance in the Gans Greek Classic in Columbia, Missouri on September 27. The women’s team will be running six kilometers, while the men will run eight.