Hoosier establishes herself in 2nd season

As a freshman, Lindsay Hattendorf began to make her mark on the IU women's cross country team by finishing fourth for the Hoosiers on her home course in her rookie race, the 2002 Indiana Open. Hattendorf maintained this position the rest of the 2002 season as the team's consistent fourth or fifth finisher.\nEntering the 2003 season, Hattendorf has quickly established herself as the No. 2 runner for the Hoosiers, finishing in that position in the two 5K races she has competed in.\nOn Aug. 29, Hattendorf finished third overall and ran 18:42.66 in the Indiana Open held on the IU Cross Country Course. Three weeks later, the Hoosiers returned to the site of the 2002 NCAA National Championship Meet in Terre Haute Sept. 19 for the Indiana Intercollegiates, where Hattendorf ran a personal record 18:21, en route to helping the Hoosiers earn a first place team finish.\n"I hope to accomplish more as an individual each year," Hattendorf said. "I want each season to keep getting better and better. This season, as an individual, I want to improve as much as I can each week and each race."\nSenior Audrey Giesler, who has finished first for the Hoosiers in all three races that she has competed in this season, including a first place individual title at the 2003 Indiana Intercollegiates, said Hattendorf brings an incredible amount of enthusiasm and determination to the Hoosiers.\n"She is one of the toughest competitors I have ever met, and she is willing to make sacrifices necessary to ensure a quality running program at IU," Giesler said. "Even though she is only a sophomore, I think a lot of the girls on the team really look up to her for her work ethic and excitement."\nCompeting in the 10K in outdoor track this past season, Hattendorf ran the fifth-best time in school history of 35:23 at the Stanford Invitational. Hattendorf said running the 10K in outdoor track gives her more experience when it comes to collegiate running.\n"I feel the 10K has helped me physically and mentally," Hattendorf said. "Being able to focus for 25 laps is not the easiest thing, but I love the 10K."\nCoach Judy Wilson said Hattendorf's experience in the 10K would help her this season.\n"With a year of experience under her belt, and having run the 10K last spring, we're excited to see how far she will go this season," Wilson said.\nHattendorf said she cannot chose a specific meet in which she is looking forward to because each one is different, but she looks forward to when November comes around because that is when the big meets such as the Big Ten Championship and NCAA National Championship take place.\n"I look forward to every race, but I really enjoy the races where the pressure to perform awesome is very important," Hattendorf said. "I like the feeling of the last race you run for the season because everything that you have worked for is going to pay off in that one race."\n-- Contact staff writer Steve Slivka at smslivka@indiana.edu.