Hoosier men and women finish 8th, 4th respecitvely in Regional

The IU men’s and women’s cross country teams saw two fourth place individual finishes pace them to eighth and fourth place overall finishes respectively in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional.

The talent pool of the home competition Saturday was deep, and the field saw three nationally-ranked teams for the men and two for the women.

The men’s team was led by sophomore Andrew Poore, who finished fourth and earned an automatic qualification for the next level of the NCAAs.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Poore said. “It’s my first national meet. I’m just going to keep doing what I’ve been doing and listen to Coach Helmer. He is very good at getting athletes ready for big races.”

After Poore crossed the line at 31:11:70, freshman Zach Mayhew followed close by with an 11th place finish. Both Poore and Mayhew earned All-Region accolades for their efforts.

Three Hoosier women earned All-Region honors as well, including junior Sarah Pease, senior Wendi Robinson and sophomore Chelsea Blanchard.

Pease put in a fourth place overall finish and led the Hoosier women to a fourth place finish as a team. It was the first time this season that Pease led the Hoosier pack. Robinson and Blanchard followed close behind, finishing sixth and 14th, respectively.

“For me, I tried to stick with the race plan,” Pease said. “I just kind of got into the groove and kept it going. I was happy I could qualify on my own, but everyone on the team ran really, really well, and I’m proud of everyone. Being within three points of second, its somewhat disappointing, but also a point in the right direction.”