Brett Dietrich Oct. 29, 2005

Central climbs to third at Iowa Conference meet

CEDAR RAPIDS—Three Central College runners earned all-Iowa Conference honors as the Dutch men's and women's cross country teams recorded strong third-place finishes at the league meet Saturday.

After finishing fourth in the league the past two years, the Central men recorded their highest finish since placing third in 1992. Central had 85 points behind Wartburg (33) and Luther (50). Adam Wolf (junior, Corning) improved on last year's 16th-place conference finish by taking fourth in 26:01 on the 8,000-meter Jones Park course, his third-fastest time of the year. It was Central's first top-five individual finish since Andy Goodman won the title in 1994. Wartburg senior Keith Solverson was Saturday's winner in 24:59.

Bryan George (senior, Pella) placed 14th (26:41) to also get all-league honors, Joe Jefferson (junior, Decorah) was 18th in 27:13, his second-fastest time, Michael McLoughlin (senior, Fort Dodge St. Edmond) placed 21st in 27:21, 15 seconds off his best time, T.J. Weiler (senior, Ankeny) placed 28th (27:40), Brian Respeliers (junior, Council Bluffs, St. Albert HS) was 30th (27:52) and Brett Jones (junior, Knoxville) placed 34th (28:08).

Wolf ran near the lead for much of the race.

“We're real pleased with fourth place for Adam,” coach Jeff Bovee said. “That's a big jump obviously and shows the kind of improvement he's made since last year. He's run real consistently all year.”

Bovee also singled out McLoughlin.

“Looking at where he was when he was a freshman, seeing the improvement he's made is quite amazing,” he said. “He really finished strong today which helped us a lot.”

Rozendaal sixth for women— Returning just one runner from the top five on last year's Central squad which finished third in the league, the Dutch how came back to pull off another third-place showing Saturday. Wartburg was first with 40 points, with Luther at 49 and Central at 110, 18 points in front of host Coe.

Jill Rozendaal (senior, Grinnell, Lynville-Sully HS), who placed 11th last season, was sixth Saturday in 23:04 on the 6,000-meter course. Rozendaal made a run at the top spot, going with eventual champion Jen Wendt of Simpson in a rapid opening two miles before dropping to sixth. Wendt won in 22:28. It was an all-conference finish for Rozendaal but she's still eyeing bigger things.

“Jill's certainly not pleased with sixth but she knows what she needs to improve on and her chances for a NCAA berth are still really good,” Bovee said, looking ahead to the NCAA Div. III regional meet at Waverly Nov. 12. That meet serves as the qualifier for the national meet at Delaware , Ohio Nov. 19.

Nicki Thomas (freshman, Omaha, Neb., Millard North HS) was next in 19th (24:15), Heidi Rathje (senior, Atkins, Benton HS) placed 22nd (24:30), Mackenzie Lauman (Shenandoah, Shenandoah-Essex HS) was 31st (25:18), Jessica Clark (freshman, Port Byron, Ill. Riverdale HS) placed 32nd (25:21), Amanda Wood (senior, Pocahontas, Pocahontas Area HS) was 38th (25:41) and Amy Boesenberg (freshman, Cedar Rapids, Alburnett HS) placed 48th (26:48).

“Heidi (Rathje) ran a really nice race,” Bovee said. “She ran really consistent. She was pretty smart and pretty even throughout. Jessica ( Clark ) also ran real consistent.”

Bovee noted that Lauman and Wood each made marked improvement over the team's most recent outing at the Jim Drews Invitational in West Salem , Wis. Oct. 15. Lauman was 30 seconds faster and Wood improved by 26 seconds on a course that Bovee said was tougher than West Salem 's.

The third-place finish was an impressive showing for a squad filled with question marks.

“I knew we had a pretty talented freshman class but with the lack of experience and the loss of so many good leaders from last year, I wasn't sure,” Bovee said. “But this senior class really stepped up. I couldn't be happier with this senior group. We've got a nice balance with the seniors and the freshmen.”

Both Central squads are off until the NCAA regional meet.