IU runs past ranked opponents

The IU cross country team put themselves on the national map this weekend at the Paul Short Memorial Invitational in Bethlehem, Pa.

The men’s team knocked off ranked opponents such as Iona, NC State and Princeton on their way to capturing the meet title. The women had an impressive showing as well, finishing third.

“It gives us a better evaluation relative to the work we’ve been doing.” IU coach Ron Helmer said. “They validated they were good for the team. It’s on us to prepare for the championship season.”

The men were paced by freshman Andy Bayer, who crossed the line third overall with a time of 23:42.

“We ended up beating Iona, and they were a national runner up last year,” Bayer said. “We had our top-6 finish really close. It was really sweet.”

Bayer was followed by sophomore Andrew Poore, freshman Zach Mayhew and junior Cole Hardacre. They finished in sixth, seventh and eighth places, respectively.

For the women’s cross country team, graduate student Wendi Robinson finished fourth with a time of 20:04.

Junior Sarah Pease and sophomore Chelsea Blanchard both ended up in the top 20 as well, finishing at 12th and 19th overall.

“People ran well, but we can still do a little better,” Robinson said. “I thought it was a step in the right direction. This meet is a good indicator that we’ll be performing well at the end.”