University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
NCAA Midwest Regional
Cross Country Ready For Midwest Regional
11/9/2016 2:16:00 PM | Cross Country
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The University of Northern Iowa cross country program is set for the 2016 NCAA Cross Country Midwest Regional, hosted by the University of Iowa on Friday, Nov. 11.
The meet will take place at the Ashton Cross Country Course in Iowa City, Iowa with 70 teams looking to qualify for the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. on Nov. 19. The women's 6,000 meters will begin at 11 a.m. with the men's 10,000 meter race getting started at noon.
UNI will take a full women's squad along with a trio from the men's team to compete on the regional stage. The UNI women enter the meet ranked No. 9 in the Midwest Region after capturing the Missouri Valley Conference team championship on Oct. 29.
The Panther women will run with seven student-athletes including Theresa Connelly, Lucy Conroy, Brette Correy, Kelsey Kirchoff, Ashley Norem, Hannah Truniger and Alyssa Williams. On the men's side, senior Zach Buchheit, junior Bailey Wetherell and freshman CJ May will all take a crack at their first 10K of the season.
MVC Coach of the Year Dave Paulsen will look to continue the momentum the Panthers have had all season into the Midwest Regional, all on the heels of a conference championship and personal-bests throughout 2016.
The UNI women had four athletes finish in the top-10 at the MVC Championships in Cedar Falls, including Norem who scored a sixth place finish and the Elite 18 Award. Senior Kelsey Kirchoff placed seventh overall with true freshman Truniger coming in ninth, earning MVC Freshman of the Year. Correy was UNI's fourth all-conference runner on the day, placing 10th.
Buchheit was UNI's highest finisher for the men, earning all-conference honorable mention for his 15th place finish, his second all-conference honor in his career. Wetherell notched his best finish at an MVC meet, coming across the line in 25th with freshman May earning a top-40 finish in his first conference meet in 36th.
Fans can follow along with the action at the Midwest Regional by following UNI cross country on Twitter (@UNITrackFieldXC). Results and a full recap of the day's events will be available at www.UNIPanthers.com following the completion of the meet.
Players Mentioned
