WHAT'S AHEAD: The Drake men's and women's cross country teams will compete in the NCAA Midwest Regional Saturday on the Newman Golf Course in Peoria, Ill. The men's 10,000-meter race will start at 11 a.m., followed by the women's 6,000-meter race at 12:15 p.m.
SIZING UP THE FIELD: The Midwest Region consists of schools from the states of Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.
In the men's division, Oklahoma State has been ranked No. 1 in the Midwest Region throughout the season in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Assocation poll. The Cowboys are ranked No. 12 in the latest national poll.
In the women's division, Minnesota has been ranked No. 1 in the Midwest Region poll the last five straight weeks. The Gophers are ranked No. 6 in the latest national poll.
LAST YEAR: The Drake men's cross country team recorded the highest finish of any Missouri Valley Conference school in the 2006 NCAA Midwest Regional Cross Country meet held in Falcon Heights, Minn. The Bulldogs placed tenth with 279 points. Thirty-one schools competed in the meet with Oklahoma State winning the regional with 72 points.
Kansas was second, followed by Iowa, Missouri State, Iowa State, Minnesota, Illinois, Tulsa, Oklahoma and Drake.
Then senior Skyler Neshiem led the Drake contingent by placing 35th out of 154 runners, covering the 10,000-meter course in 32 minutes 3.09 seconds. Drake sophomore Jeff Grassmeyer (Fremont, Neb.) was 52nd in 32:25.59, while junior Dylan McClain was 53rd in 32:16.19. Nick Cooper, competing in his last meet for Drake, was 67th in 32:58.69.
WOMEN'S 2006 RECAP: Then Drake senior Ashley Anklam, one of the greatest women's cross country runners in school history, closed out her career by earning All-Midwest Regional honors for a third consecutive year at the NCAA Women's Midwest Regional Cross Country Meet in Falcon Heights, Minn.
Anklam finished 24th out of 171 runners, covering the 6,000-meter course in 21 minutes 50.52 seconds. She fell short in her bid to become the first runner in Drake history to qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships two years in a row. Anklam placed sixth overall in the 2005 NCAA Midwest Women's Regional Cross Country meet to qualify for the NCAA Championships where she would finish 54th.
Illinois won the team title at the 2006 NCAA Women's Midwest Regional followed by Minnesota 49 points, Iowa 118, Nebraska 141, Oklahoma State 175, Missouri and Wichita State 205, Tulsa 272, Missouri State 285 and Southern Illinois 304 to round out the top 10.
Drake finished 19th in the final NCAA Midwest Regional. Then senior Jenny Reff was 104th in 23:42.32,while Avery Buresh was 115th in 23:58.32.
Sophomore Courtney Heinz (St. Paul, Minn.) is Drake's top returning runner from the 2006 NCAA Midwest Regional, placing 135th in 24:25.82. Junior Nicole Braunsdorf (St. Francis, Wis.) was 143rd in 24:45.77, while sophomore Tara Scieszinski (Albia, Iowa) was 146th in 24:49.67 and senior Sarah Hamling (Council Bluffs, Iowa/St. Albert) 149th in 24:58.62.
A LOOK BACK: The Drake men's cross country team finished fifth in the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship Oct. 27 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Drake women's cross country team was sixth in the State Farm MVC Championship.
HILL LEADS PACK: Senior Barry Hill (Caddo Mills, Texas) led the Drake men's team at the MVC meet placing 11th on the 8,000-meter course in 24 minutes 56.89 seconds. Senior Evan Jurkovich (Edina, Minn.) was 21st in a personal best of 25:26.
Junior Andrew Shortslef (Janesville, Wis.) was 35th in 26:05, while junior Leyden Tolhurst (Auckland, New Zealand) was 39th in 26:20. Junior Jeff Grassmeyer, a two-time MVC individual track champion, was 41st in 26:21. Freshman Mike Bumgarner (Rosemount, Minn.) was 44th (26:32) and junior Cole Feldman (Carroll, Iowa) was 57th (27:25).
BRAUNSDORF KEYS WOMEN: Sophomore Nicole Braunsdorf led a young Drake women's cross country team to a sixth-place finish in the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championship in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Oct. 27.
Braunsdorf finished 13th, covering the 6,000-meter race in 17 minutes 59.68 seconds. Drake's next four top runners were all freshmen - Casey McDermott (Newton, Iowa), 23rd in 18:32; Milly Clark (Jakarta, Indonesia) 33rd in 18:46; Meredith Bell (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Washington), 42nd in 19:11 and Katrine Owren (Sandes, Norway), 45th in 19:13.
Sarah Hamling, the lone senior on the Drake team, was 53rd in a personal best of 19:24. Sophomore Courtney Heinz was 52nd in 19:22.
