University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
NCAA Midwest Regional
UNI Wraps Up Season At NCAA Midwest Regional
11/11/2016 3:53:00 PM | Cross Country
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Northern Iowa cross country program wrapped up the 2016 season with a strong performance at the NCAA Midwest Regional today, with the women placing 10th overall out of 33 teams.
UNI's 10th place finish as a team is the highest the Panthers have placed at the regional meet, led by junior Ashley Norem who came in 38th overall. Her personal-best time of 21:08.90 in the 6,000 meters today is the fourth fastest time in school history.
Freshman Hannah Truniger finished right behind Norem in 39th, running a time of 21:10.80. Senior Kelsey Kirchoff followed suit in 40th place with a time of 21:11.40, ending an outstanding cross country career as a Panther.
Kirchoff ends her time on the course ranked No. 2 all-time at UNI in the 6K and No. 6 in the 5,000 meters. She is a two-time MVC Scholar-Athlete team selection while also earning all-conference honorable mention in 2015 and first-team all-conference this year after leading the Panthers to MVC title.
Junior Brette Correy rounded out UNI's top-four finishers at the Midwest Regional, scoring a personal-best time in the 6K. Her time of 21:40.50 keeps her ranked No. 9 all-time as a Panther.
The Panthers also had a trio of men running at the race, with senior Zach Buchheit leading the way. He finished 68th overall with a time of 31:38.70 to wrap up his cross country career. Buchheit is ranked No. 8 in the 8K and in the 10K at UNI, earning MVC all-conference in 2014 and honorable mention in 2016.
Freshman CJ May took his first crack at a collegiate 10K, running a time of 32:27.50 with Bailey Wetherell running a time of 32:46.70.
The Midwest Regional put a cap on another great season from UNI cross country with the women's team earning six top-10 finishes and the men grabbing four. The Panthers ended the season with six current athletes on the UNI top-10 list.
