Young UNI cross country teams picked 6th and 8th in MVC preseason poll

Young UNI cross country teams picked 6th and 8th in MVC preseason poll

8/23/2022 10:00:00 AM | Cross Country

2022 XC Preseason Poll

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Both the UNI men's and women's cross country teams return much of the squads from last year.

On the men's side UNI has a fairly young team but returns all but one Panther from last year's roster. Senior Sam McCool is the top returning runner from last season, and he will be joined by four newcomers who hope to make an impact.

Also returning for UNI is junior David Holesinger II and sophomores Drake Hanson, Payton Marrs, Caleb Shumaker and Brady Griebel.

Hanson returns after finishing runner-up in the 800-meter run at MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Coming off redshirt outdoor seasons, Holesinger, Marrs and Shumaker are all returning after being in UNI's top five last fall. Griebel is returning after being an indoor mile finalist last winter.

UNI welcomes newcomers Kon Dut from Waukee Northwest High School; Jayden Dickson a track and cross country state champ from Earlham High School; Drew Dombrosky from Blue Valley Southwest High School in Kansas and Isaac Natvig, an all-state cross country performer for Valley Lutheran High School in Cedar Falls.

The men were picked to finish eighth in the MVC preseason poll, while the women were picked sixth. Bradley was the top pick on both the men's and women's sides.

On the women's side the Panthers are coming off a very strong indoor and outdoor track seasons. UNI returns five of its top six runners from 2021 and will add a pair of key newcomers who will look to enter the mix.

Returners include sophomores Kate Crawford, Sophia Jungling and Isabelle Schaffer and seniors Mia Rampton and Paige Holub.

Crawford returns after a strong indoor track season and redshirt outdoor season. Jungling is the reigning indoor 800-meter run conference champion. Schaffer returns after finishing fifth in the 10,000-meter run at the MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Rampton returns after scoring in the steeple chase this past spring. Holub was an all- conference performer in the mile and was a 1,500-meter finalist.

Newcomer include sophomore Emma Hoins, who was the Junior College Steeplechase National Champ and a cross country all-American for Hawkeye Community College. Kaylin Lacher is an all-state cross country and track standout from Desert Mountain High School in Arizona.

The Panthers open the season at the Hawkeye Invite on Sept. 2.