Leading into the season, the Northern Iowa men’s and women’s cross-country teams had one particular date circled on their calendar: Nov. 1. Last Friday, the Panthers competed in the Missouri Valley Conference Cross-Country Championships in Cedar Falls. For the first time in eight years, UNI hosted the event on their home turf at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course, which provided familiar footing for the Panthers. With the support of the purple and gold faithful, the men and women produced historic outings culminating in numerous personal bests and school records.
At 11 a.m., the UNI women gathered around their starting box in near-perfect running conditions. Sunny skies radiated over a brisk Cedar Falls day, leading to temperatures in the mid-40s with little wind. The Panthers took advantage of these conditions to place fifth among The Valley’s 12 teams, a three-place improvement from last year. Leading Northern Iowa as they crossed the finish line was senior Emma Hoins, who set a new 6k school record of 20:44.1. She shattered Traci Hawley’s previous record of 20:56, which had stood for 17 years. Hoins also earned all-conference honorable mention honors for placing 12th among 100 competitors. Millie Hill also raced under Hawley’s longtime standard, running 20:50.8 to become the second-fastest-ever Panther over 6k. Hill placed 16th overall while closely trailed by teammate Melody Ochana, who finished 18th in 20:59.1. This marks the first time in Northern Iowa history that multiple women have finished under the 21-minute barrier. Hoins joyfully described this performance as a “fairytale ending” and that having three women under 21 minutes “blows her mind.”
Not only did these women run at their all-time peaks to claim three of the top four spots in UNI’s record book, but six more Panthers accompanied them to set personal or season bests. Eden Mueller placed 34th overall in a new personal record of 21:38. Kate Crawford closely trailed Mueller to finish 37th and run 21:46.5, a season-best for the senior as she rounded out UNI’s scoring runners. Freshman Leah Klapatauskas ran a personal record of 22:10.6 to place 49th. Brooke O’Brien and Claire Wright packed up to achieve personal bests of 22:21.5 and 22:28.0 while placing 57th and 62nd, respectively. Lauren Klein concluded a monumental day for the Northern Iowa women by also running a personal record of 22:37.5 en route to finishing 67th overall.
Following the race, Hoins exclaimed how everyone ran “so good” and were “so strong and capable.” In two weeks, she and her teammates look forward to “leaving it all out there one last time” at the Midwest Regional Championship Meet. “If we did this today, why not do it again?” said Hoins.
Bradley University claimed the women’s team title with a score of 42 points, outlasting second-place Indiana State by 24 points. However, the Sycamores were home to the individual champion. Emma Gresham took the race win in 20:09.7, comfortably beating second-place winner Tyla Lumley of Drake by 14 seconds.
The Northern Iowa men lept from their starting box at noon, where similar conditions with just a slight temperature rise continued from the women’s contest. With a strong tone set by the Panther women, the men looked to capitalize on the buzz in the air. UNI raced to a seventh-place finish among 11 MVC opponents, finishing three spots better than last season. Caleb Shumaker concluded his last 8k as a Panther by breaking his school record, now at 24:02.0. Shumaker’s time propelled him to an 18th-place finish among 90 athletes. “It hasn’t really set in now that this was my last 8k ever,” expressed Shumaker. “But I’m glad I could go out with my fastest one. I’m grateful for the opportunity and that it all accumulated to this.”
The sophomore duo of Carson Owens and Levi Hill were the next two Panthers to cross the finish line, placing 49th and 50th overall. Owens covered the course in 24:59.7 while Hill closed hard to finish just a second behind Owens, running a personal record of 25:00.5. Chase Lauman ran a gritty race to walk away with a new personal best of 25:13.3 and finish 56th. Senior Brady Griebel closed with Lauman to place 59th overall and run a new personal record of 25:15.6. After Griebel concluded Northern Iowa’s scoring runners, freshman Micah Rees completed his first MVC Championships in 25:36.8 to finish 70th. Drew Dombroksy set a new personal best of 26:23.1 and finished 75th overall. Finally, Josh Gormley concluded a successful day for the Panthers by placing 78th in 28:42.9
After the race, Shumaker gladly stated that he was incredibly “proud of the team” and that “everyone gave their best on the right day.” The Panther men are excited for regionals, as the team raced the course just a couple of weeks ago at the Bradley Pink Classic. With the jump from racing an 8k to the 10k distance, Shumaker is eager to see “what [the team] can do” in possibly their final race of the season.
Bradley also captured the men’s team title, scoring 42 points. The Braves narrowly beat Illinois State, who achieved 51 points in a second-place effort. Despite that, the Redbirds had the individual winner and runner-up. William Sinclar captured the men’s championship in 23:02.9, and teammate Mathis Chavand was not far behind in 23:16.5.
With an unforgettable day in Northern Iowa athletics behind them, the UNI men’s and women’s cross-country teams prepare to travel to Peoria, Illinois, to compete in the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship on Nov. 15.
