Members of the 2007 IHCC cross country teams are, from left, front row, Lauren Jones, Kale Wyngarden, Whitney Reno, Ryan Noe, Sarah Griffiths, Carson McIntosh; back row, Tim Archer, Kaitlin Courtney, Enrique Ramirez, Dana Roberts, Jake Schreur, Brittany Lawson, and Tony Beal.

Cross Country

Indian Hills Runners Train, Then Run in St. Louis

(April 21) -- Members of the Indian Hills Community College men’s and women’s cross country teams had something to train for this winter during their “offseason” – the Go St. Louis Marathon and Half Marathon. They used the early April event in St. Louis as a goal and a local contingent of 12 runners, which included IHCC coach Bill Gray and nine current or former Warrior cross country athletes, ran very well in the races the first weekend in April.

Coach Gray and six Indian Hills cross country runners ran the full 26.2 mile marathon course. Whitney Reno from the IHCC women’s team was second in the 19 & under division, finishing in 3:45:31. Enrique Ramirez led the Warrior men’s runners with a time of 3:38:48, good for 6^th in his division. Following Ramirez, were Ryan Noe (3:44:13), Tony Beal (3:45:25), coach Gray (3:49:33) and Jake Schreur (4:23:21).

The half marathon was run at the same time as the marathon and had over five times as many runners. Lauren Jones, who was an All-American in cross country last fall for Indian Hills in the school’s first year of offering the sport, was 19^th in her age group with a time of 1:40:02. Jones has signed to run at Nicholls State University in Louisiana in the fall.

Kale Wyngarden (1:48:07), Michelle Gray (1:51:28), David Johnson (1:51:29), Kaitlin Courtney (2:05:05) and Brittany Lawson (2:15:51) also ran the half marathon. Wyngarden, Courtney and Lawson were on the IHCC cross country squads last fall while Gray and Johnson are from Ottumwa.

Jones Races to All-American Honors

(Ina, Ill.) -- Sophomore Lauren Jones (Centerville, IA) gave Indian Hills its first cross country All-American when Jones finished in 19^th place out of 235 runners in the NJCAA Division I Women’s National Championship in Ina, Ill. this past weekend. Jones shattered the school record she had set in the Region XI Championship meet when she ran a minute and 11 seconds faster over the 5K course at the national meet. Her time was 18:13.24.

Every one of the IHCC women’s runners bettered their previous season’s best time by at least 44 seconds. Whitney Reno (Humeston, IA) finished in 63^rd place in a time of 19:28. That was 50 seconds faster than her previous season's best time. Brittany Lawson (Moravia, IA) was next for IHCC at 24:00, followed by Kaitlin Courtney (Ottumwa, IA) at 24:38.75 and Sarah Griffiths (Brooklyn, IA) at 24:58.78..

The Indian Hills men’s squad was led by freshman Tony Beal (Albia, IA), who broke the school record for the 8K race with a time of 28:34. The rest of the IHCC men’s competitors and their times: Tim Archer (St. Joseph, MO) 29:29; Ryan Noe (Ottumwa, IA) 31:11; Enrique Ramirez (Ottumwa, IA) 30:16; Carson McIntosh (Keosauqua, IA) 30:58;and Jake Schreur (Carroll, IA) 31:34. The top four finishers on the IHCC men's team ran a personal-best time with Ramirez lowering his previous best by 59 seconds.

IHCC Women and Men Run at Conference Meet

(Fort Dodge, IA) -- All 11 runners had their best times of the season as the Indian Hills cross country teams had a strong showing in the Region XI Championship in Fort Dodge on Sunday. The IHCC women were 4th and the men 5th as coach Bill Gray's teams showed marked improvement from earlier in the year.

Sophomore Lauren Jones led the way for the Indian Hills women's squad. Jones continued her impressive fall campaign with a personal best time of 19:24.5 over the 5K course. She was 4th in the individual standings. Jones' time was a new school record, breaking the mark she set at Graceland by nine seconds. Iowa Central's Lydia Kosgei was the winner. Jones' teammate Whitney Reno was 7th for the Warriors with a time of 20:12.3. Brittany Lawson was 20th (24:44), Kaitlin Courtney 24th (26:07.4) and Sarah Griffiths 27th (28:33) for Indian Hills. The Warriors were only 12 points behind Iowa Western, which finished second behind team champ Iowa Central. Coach Gray said, "The girls have worked hard this year and their times at the regional meet definitely showed it."

The IHCC men were led by freshman Tony Beal who set a school record in the 8K race with a time of 28:48, good for 27th place. Tim Archer was next for the Warriors in 29:20.5 and 30th place. Jake Schreur was 32nd (30:14.8), Ryan Noe 33rd (30:16.1), Carson McIntosh 35th (30:43.7) and Enrique Ramirez 36th (31:15.9) for Indian Hills. Less than two minutes separated the times of the top five IHCC runners, a fact coach Gray said is "pretty amazing."

Iowa Central also won the men's title. Iowa Western had the individual winner -- David Barmasai in a time of 24:23.9.

The Indian Hills teams now have two weeks to prepare for the NJCAA Cross Country Championship in Ina, Illinois on November 10 hosted by Rend Lake College.

Jones Wins Women's Race as Warriors Battle Graceland

(Lamoni, IA) -- Indian Hills sophomore Lauren Jones gave herself a nice birthday present with a first-place finish as the Indian Hills cross country teams competed against Graceland University in the Lamoni school's Homecoming Run on Saturday. Jones finished the 5K race in a time of 19:33 to capture the first individual title ever for an Indian Hills runner. This is the college's first season of cross country competition. Jones' teammate, Whitney Reno, was 3rd in 20:49. Also running for the Warriors were Brittany Lawson, whose time was 25:47, Kaitlin Courtney (27:12) and Sarah Griffiths (30:39).

Tim Archer led the way for the IHCC men's team. Archer was 5th in the 8K race in 29:33. Tony Beal and Ryan Noe were less than a minute behind Archer. Beal was 7th in 30:18 and Noe 8th in 30:30. Indian Hills coach Bill Gray said, "Tim, Tony and Ryan worked together the entire race, pushing each other and drafting on a very windy day. All of our guys ran with passion."

Jake Schreur was 9th in a time of 31:57, Enrique Ramirez 10th in 32:18, Carson McIntosh 11th in 32:19 and Kale Wyngarden 12th in 35:21.

Coach Gray said, "I was somewhat surprised to see such good times on such an unfavorable day with the wind, the rolling hills and the hard surface. I am proud of both the women's and men's teams. They handled themselves well and are a lot of fun to coach. We have a few weeks now to heal and train for the regional meet in Fort Dodge."

The Warriors will take place in the Region XI Championship meet on Sunday, Oct. 28.

Indian Hills Runners Take Part in Augustana Invite

(Davenport, IA) -- Indian Hills Community College, along with 31 other men's teams and 26 women's teams, took part in the Brissman/Lundeen Invitational at Credit Island Park in Davenport on Friday.

The Warrior highlights included both Lauren Jones and Whitney Reno finishing in the top 80 in the women's race. Jones's time was 24:46, good for 71st place out of the 354 women runners who competed. Teammate Reno was 80th in a time of 24:53. Brittany Lawson ran 32:17 and Kaitlin Courtney 34:14 for Indian Hills. Jessica Lamp of Wisconsin-Parkside was the winner of the women's race in a time of 21:50.

On the men's side, first across the finish line for the Warriors was Tony Beal in 29:49. Ryan Noe finished in 31:15; Jake Schreur in 31:40, Tim Archer in 31:58; Carson McIntosh in 32:00; and Enrique Ramirez in 32:38.

The Indian Hills squads will compete in the Graceland Invitational in Lamoni on Sept. 29.

IHCC Harriers Compete Against Four-Year Schools at Luther College

(Decorah, IA) -- After a little over two weeks without a meet, the IHCC cross country teams returned to action on Saturday at the Luther College All-American Invitational. Tim Archer and Lauren Jones continued their strong fall seasons for the Warriors with the best times for the IHCC men and women.

Jones finished in 26th place with a time of 20:29, just 16 seconds ahead of teammate Whitney Reno, who was 33rd. Sarah Griffith was 52nd in 27:52, Brittany Lawson 53rd in 27:59 and Kaitlin Courtney was 54th.

Archer's time of 23:33 put him in 40th place in a field that included runners from the University of Minnesota and Wisconsin-LaCrosse in addition to the host school. There was only 2:02 separating the first and sixth runners for Indian Hills. After Archer, came Tony Beal in 23:42, Ryan Noe in 24:25, Carson McIntosh in 25:05, Jake Schreur in 25:32 and Enrique Ramirez in 25:35.

The Warrior men and women will run at the Brissman-Lundeen Invitational hosted by Augustana College on Friday, Sept. 21.

Archer and Jones Have Top Times as Warriors Run in Illinois

(Macomb, IL) -- The Indian Hills cross country teams ran in the Western Illinois University Early Bird Invitational on Friday. The best finishes for the IHCC teams was a 37th for Tim Archer on the men's side and Lauren Jones' 22nd place showing for the women.

Archer's time was 30:23. Next for the Warriors was Tony Beal with a 31:38 for 40th place. Ryan Noe was 43rd at 32:08, Kale Wyngarden came in 44th with a time of 32:21, Enrique Ramirez ran 33:35 for 46th and Jake Schreur was 47th in 34:40.

Jones' time was 25:43 for the Indian Hills women's team. Teammate Whitney Reno was 30th with a time of 26:28 and Sarah Griffith finished 41st in a time of 38:30.

The Indian Hills teams are idle until running in the Luther College All-American Invite in Decorah on Saturday, Sept. 15.

Warriors Run in Fort Dodge to Kick Off Inaugural Season

(Fort Dodge) -- The Indian Hills men's and women's cross country teams took part in Saturday's Region XI Time Trials at Kennedy Park in Fort Dodge. It was the season debut for the IHCC teams, one of nine community colleges in Iowa that now have cross country programs.

The Indian Hills women had two runners finish in the top seven. Lauren Jones was 5th with a time of 22:05.2 and Whitney Reno was 7th in 22:16.8

The Warrior men were led by Tim Archer's 19th-place finish. Archer's time was 18:48.2. Kale Wyngarden was next for Indian Hills with a time of 20:38.5 good for 42nd place. Ryan Noe ran 20:52 for 46th; Enrique Ramirez was 48th in a time of 20:55; and Jake Schreur was 62nd in a time of 25:16.7.

The Indian Hills teams will run this Friday at the Western Illinois University Invitational in Macomb, IL.

Indian Hills Announces Cross Country Schedule

(August 20) -- The inaugural cross country season for Indian Hills Community College will begin with the Region XI Time Trials in Fort Dodge on Friday, August 24. The Warrior men's and women's teams will run in four more meets after the opener. The schedule is listed below.

August 24 -- ICCAC Time Trials at Fort Dodge, IA (11 am)

August 31 -- Western Illinois University Early Bird Invitational at Macomb, IL (TBA)

September 15 -- Luther College All-American Invite at Decorah, IA (11:20 am)

September 21 -- Brissman-Lundeen Cross Country Invitational at Davenport, IA (5:00 pm)

September 29 -- Graceland Invitational at Lamoni, IA (10:00 am)

October 28 -- Region XI Championships at Fort Dodge, IA (11:00 am)

November 10 -- NJCAA Cross Country Championships at Ina, IL (10:00 am)

Cross Country Meeting July 9

(July 3) -- Indian Hills Community College cross country coach Bill Gray is inviting anyone interested in participating in or learning more about the college's new men's and women's cross country programs to a meeting at Indian Hills next week. The meeting will be held in the Hellyer Student Life Center on the Ottumwa campus on Monday, July 9 at 4 p.m.

Indian Hills has added men's and women's cross country to the college's athletics program for the upcoming fall season. Those who attend Monday's meeting are asked to bring along running gear and a water bottle.

For more information on the meeting or questions about cross country at IHCC, contact Bill Gray at (641) 683-5209 or (800) 726-2585, ext. 5209.

IHCC Cross Country Has First Three Runners

(May 16) -- Indian Hills Community College cross country coach Bill Gray has found three students already on the IHCC campus to build the Warrior cross country squads around.

Indian Hills will have a cross country program for both men and women for the first time this fall. And Whitney Reno from Humeston and Kale Wyngarden and Kara Lovell from Ottumwa have signed letters of intent to compete for the Warriors.

Reno is a graduate of Mormon Trail High School where she had great success in three sports and was named to the Academic All-State team. She was the conference champion in the 1500 meters and 3000 meters as a senior and also ran on the distance medley relay team that won the conference title. Reno was runnerup in the 1500 at the district meet and was 20^th in the 3000 meters at the 2006 state track meet.

She was also an all-district performer in both volleyball and basketball and all-conference in basketball. Reno is currently enrolled in the Arts and Sciences Division at IHCC.

Gray says, “With her strength and conditioning, Whitney will be a leader for our cross country team this fall. She is an outstanding athlete and I expect her to have a great cross country season.”

Wyngarden is a sophomore in the Lasers/Electro-Optics program at Indian Hills. He is also president of the IHCC Warrior Fitness Club, a student organization that focuses on proper training techniques.

Wyngarden did not run cross country in high school, but has become a distance runner since graduating from OHS. His best time in the marathon is 3:23:47.

Gray says, “Kale’s work ethic is outstanding and he has shown in the classroom and on the track that he is serious about his future. I am confident Kale will shine as one of our top runners.”

Lovell is a student in the Arts and Sciences Division at IHCC. She was a member of the track and cross country teams at Ottumwa High School. Gray notes that that experience will be important as she competes for Indian Hills. “Kara really developed under the leadership of Steve Green and Kristin Mitchell at OHS. She improved tremendously on the track her senior year. With a little hard work this summer she will be right where we need her to be.”

Gray says he is continuing to work very hard on recruiting and is getting assistance from area high school coaches as well as Division I coaches. “This fall will be a busy time, but I am ready to bring our athletes together for a successful season.”