WHAT'S AHEAD: The Drake women's cross country team will compete in the Grand View Invitational at Ewing Park in Des Moines Friday as well as the Loyola Lakefront Invitational in Chicago, Ill., Saturday. The Grand View meet will start at 5 p.m.
LAST YEAR: Then junior Casy McDermott (Newton, Iowa) finished sixth to key the Drake women's cross country team to a ninth-place finish at the 2009 Loyola Lakefront Invitational. McDermott was timed in 18 minutes 7 seconds on the 5,000-meter course that attracted 378 runners. Drake scored 228 points in the 34-team meet.
Then Drake junior Meredith Bell (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) was 36th in a personal best of 18:59, while then senior Courtney Heinz placed 56th in 19:21.
Then junior Lindsay Smith (Lakeville, Min.) placed 13th to lead a trio of Drake runners who competed in the 2009 Grand View Invitational. Smith was clocked in 20 minutes 59 seconds in the 5,000-meter run. Then Drake freshman London James (Adair, Iowa) was 14th in 21:11.
A LOOK BACK: Drake senior Casey McDermott was 88th at the Roy Griak Invitational Women's Gold Division cross country meet at the Les Bolstad Golf Course last Saturday in Falcon Heights, Minn.McDermott was timed in 22 minutes 44 seconds on the 6,000-meter course. The Bulldogs placed 22nd out of 29 teams.
Three-hundred runners, representing more than 29 schools from across the country, helped comprise the strongest cross country field a young Drake team will face this fall.
Senior Tara Scieszinski (Albia, Iowa) was 139th in 23:38, while freshman Erin Poss (Antioch, Ill.) placed 143rd in 23:48. Senior Katie Coomer (Overland Park, Kan.) was 151st in 23:59 with senior Meredith Bell 160th in 24:09 and freshman Amanda Marwitz (Crystal Lake, Ill.) 178th in 24:52.
North Carolina State freshman Laura Hoer held off Minnesota junior Stephanie Price to win the individual title, crossing the finish line in 20:38.40, two seconds ahead of Price.
Arizona placed five runners among the top 25 to win the team title with 76 points, followed by New Mexico (101), Iowa State (111), Duke (117) and Providence (135) rounding out the top five.
