Saturday, November 12, 2011

DEKALB, Ill. – Sophomore Brogan Austin (Boone, Iowa), against a very tough field, earned a 36th-place showing at the NCAA Midwest Regional on Saturday (Nov. 12).

Austin completed the 10,000-meter course in 32:13.69 to lead the Bulldogs as a squad to a 12th-place finish. 171 runners from 33 schools competed in the qualifying race for the NCAA Cross Country Championship.

“Brogan put himself in position early against the very best in the nation,” commented head coach Dan Hostager. “It caught up with him later on in the race, but I'm really proud of his effort.”

Senior Colin Hagan (Wichita, Kan.), in his final collegiate cross country race, was 63rd crossing the line in 32:58.23. Right behind him was sophomore Omet Kak (Des Moines, Iowa), whose time of 33:01.87 earned him a 64th-place showing.

Sophomore Doug Brady (Englewood, Colo.) was 72nd finishing in 33:18.20, while freshman Conor Wells (Des Moines, Iowa) was 93rd running the course in 33:49.86.

“Our men's team capped off a very successful fall season,” said Hostager. “We've got a very young team and it was great to see our top senior finish off his collegiate cross country career with another outstanding performance.”

Oklahoma State edged out Oklahoma for the team title as the Cowboys finished the meet with 42 points, while the Sooners earned 45 points. Winning the individual tittle was Hassan Mead of Minnesota who crossed the line in 31:16.87. 

This marks the final meet of the season for the Drake squad, which will now switch its attention to the upcoming track and field season.