AMES, Iowa – The men and women of Drake cross country got their season underway this morning at the Cyclone Preview hosted by Iowa State in Ames. The Bulldogs had an encouraging morning on the trail in the first event under the leadership of new head coach Sam Read.
 
"Cross country season is officially off and I'm very excited to be a part of this team," Read said. "The main goal of this race was to get our feet wet…we had a lot of athletes on both sides where this was their first collegiate race, or just hadn't run XC in a while, so getting back on the grass and feeling that race atmosphere alone can be considered a win."
 
Freshman Brenden Heitzig led the Drake men's side with a top five finish and time of 18:00.5. Veteran Aziz Jdai followed with a top 15 placement and a mark of 18:32.3.
 
Aidan Palmer finished in 22nd (19:00.6) while Gaven Corpin crossed the line in 29th (19:22.3). Landon Bendgen (19:51.4), Lanse Larsen (19:52.3), and Bowen Martin (19:53.7) each posted top 40 finishes. Jed Wilson and Aidan Simon rounded out the Drake lineup with times of 20:01.0 and 20:58.0, respectively.

Two men's newcomers, Daniel Rotich and Anas Mahboub El Hamdouni, both competed as unattached athletes. Rotich took top honors in 17:40.6 while El Hamdouni was third in 17:52.1.
 
"The men kept a controlled effort and moved really well in the end," Read added. "We have a great group of guys new to the lineup and will [continue to] provide some immediate impact for us."
 
The top Drake finisher on the women's side also placed fifth as Breanna Burak ran 17:14.0. Freshman Austra Osina (17:48.6) and Kayci Martensen (17:51.8) added placements of 12th and 13th, respectively. Anika Mohrhauser, another first-year student-athlete, came in 22nd with a pace of 18:35.5.
 
The bulk of the Bulldog women finished in the back half of the race. Drake took placements 26 to 30 via Hannah Kilday (19:16.9), Amilia Condon (19:27.8), Sophia Agan (19.28.4), Ella Brown (19:38.2), and Fabi Gipson (19:54.6).
 
Addie Appleby (20:10.9), Ellen Cook (20:22.7), Adeline Viergutz (20:42.8), and Gracie Federspiel (21:20.5) rounded out the Bulldog women's bunch.
 
"Our women had some amazing packs," Read concluded. "Seeing them work together was awesome and really encouraging. Breanna led the way for us but our youth shined behind her with three of the top five freshmen in the race."
 
The Bulldogs will be back in action next Friday, Sep. 5, at the Hawkeye Invite in Iowa City.