IU cross-country was forced to utilize its depth as the men’s and women’s teams competed in the Bradley Pink Classic and Pre Nationals this weekend.
The Hoosiers sent their inexperienced runners to the Bradley Pink Classic in Peoria, Illinois, on Friday while the teams’ top runners prepared for Pre Nationals in Madison, Wisconsin, on Saturday.
The men’s team finished fifth at the Bradley Pink Class as sophomore Hunter Moore led the Hoosiers in the 8K championship race, taking an eighth overall finish. Freshman Reese Jordan was the second IU runner to cross the finish in 18th place.
“Those two guys certainly have to slide back into our top nine,” IU Coach Ron Helmer said. “We need that, we really do. We’re too young, we’re too inexperienced, and I hope we come up with five out of nine who can help us be a better team for the rest of the season.”
As for the women’s team a lack of depth led to a 30th place finish.
“We don’t have the depth on that side to take seven people out,” Helmer said. “I took the whole group just so we could end up with a team score and to make sure that everybody knew they weren’t just running for themselves.”
Following the meet on Friday, the IU cross-country team traveled to compete in Pre Nationals.
The women’s team, led by senior Katherine Receveur, finished third in the Cardinal 6K race with a score of 166 points, finishing behind Oregon and Arkansas.
They came into Pre Nationals ranked No.11 in the country. The Hoosiers followed their seventh-place finish at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational with the seventh fastest total time from both races.
“Katherine ran with a different level of intensity,” Helmer said. “For five thousand meters she was awesome. She was right where we expect to see her.”
Receveur crossed the finish line first for IU taking 15th place overall. Senior Maggie Allen came next, finishing 20th.
Freshman Sarah Schmitt — the team’s usual No. 3 runner — did not make the trip to Wisconsin as she is dealing with a leg injury. Despite the personal setback, the next three scorers finished within 40 seconds of Receveur.
“We’ll see how she progresses,” Helmer said. “The good thing is if we don’t get her back, we should be able to get this year back on a medical hardship. I would love to have her back for four more years.”
On the men’s side, IU had the 16th best total time from both races and finished 8th in the men’s White 8K race with 296 points.
Junior Kyle Mau led the Hoosiers with a 16th place finish. The next IU runner to cross the finish line was freshman Dustin Horter in 51st place. The young runners behind Mau have struggled to close the gap between themselves and the front of the pack.
“I think the biggest thing is getting more 8K experience and more workout experience,” Mau said. “I feel like each and every race they’ve been growing and improving. I think that gap will become a lot smaller over time.”
IU will compete again Oct. 19 at the Illini Open in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois.
