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Hawkeyes Head Down Championship Road By CHRIS BREWER University of Iowa men's cross country coach Larry Wieczorek thought the Hawkeyes could use some build up meets in the month of September, but his team decided to begin construction in August. The men's and women's cross country teams opened the 2012 season with a pair of team and individual titles on Aug. 31 in Macomb, Ill. The women grabbed the Early Bird Open title with 21 points, while the men sent six of the top eight runners across the finish line to earn the team title with 18 points. Sophomore Kevin Lewis won the men's 6,000 meters and junior Katherin Rehn won her first career individual title in the women's 4,000 meters. "It was nice to go out and win that first race," said Wieczorek, "especially because we had some new athletes and freshmen in the lineup. I thought they competed well and I think that was important to get their confidence up. "Kevin Lewis is looking terrific. He's coming off a strong track season that propelled him into the summer and fall. I think he has very high expectations." Lewis was followed across the finish by juniors Jon-Michael Brandt and Sam Chaney. The individual title was the second of Lewis' career. He also won the individual crown at the 2011 Iowa Invitational, the last time the Hawkeye men swept the top three spots in a meet. The Iowa women nabbed the top two positions at the Early Bird Open, but rather than sit satisfied and be outdone by their male counterparts, the women swept the top four positions the following week at the Bradley Cross Country Open. Sophomore Kayla Beattie, who was making her 2012 debut, earned her first career individual title by completing the three- mile race in 16:44. Iowa's next three finishers, graduate student Mareike Schrulle, junior Megan Ranegar and senior Nicole Benson, all finished within 40 seconds of the leader. "It was a near perfect performance for what we're hoping will be an outstanding season," said women's coach Layne Anderson. "It was nice to see Kayla put on a uniform and race. It had been nearly a year since she competed, so I think it was good for her and good for us to get her back in the lineup. " With the early-season road paved and travel-tested, the Hawkeyes are gearing up for October, when the regular season merges into championship season. En route to the Big Championships on Oct. 28, the Hawkeye women will test their matter against some of the elite teams in the nation at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational on Oct. 12. The 6,000-meter race features 42 teams from across the country, including four of the top five teams in the USTFCCCA Midwest Regional rankings. "I think it will test us individually in terms of our fitness, reaching PRs and where we place, " said Anderson. "It will certainly be a significant challenge for us as a team to place well and measure ourselves against some of the top teams in the country. " The men will take their Big preparation to the home of the NCAA Championships in Louisville, Ky. The Hawkeyes will test the 10,000-meter course at Tom Sawyer State Park on Oct. 13. "In a sense every meet this season is enlightening some of our athletes to just how tough this level and the Big can be, " said Wieczorek. "The pre-national meet is at the NCAA site and we'll see some nationally ranked teams there. We'll be tested against some outstanding competition and I think that's a great way to prepare for the conference championships." The calendar closes with the Big Championships in East Lansing, Mich., , Oct. 28. The men's 8,000 and the women's 6,000-meter races will be contested at the Forest Akers Golf Course on the campus of Michigan State. 19