Kansas Cross Country Opens 2009 Season at Home with Bob Timmons Classic
Sept. 3, 2009
Bob Timmons Classic Meet Notes 
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
The 2009 cross country season will commence on Saturday, Sept. 5, as Kansas hosts the Bob Timmons Classic at Rim Rock Farm. The Jayhawks hope to continue their dominance on their home course, as both the men’s and women’s teams have swept the event the past three seasons.
“The team is excited about opening our season at the Bob Timmons Classic,” said KU assistant coach Michael Whittlesey. “It is a great tradition here at Kansas to be able to open our season on Coach Timmons’ home course. It is particularly special this year, as we are having two team reunions for the 1950’s and 1989 cross country teams.”
The meet starts at 9 a.m. CDT with the women’s 5K race, followed by the men’s 6K race at 10 a.m. CDT. The Jayhawks welcome men’s and women’s teams from Butler County CC, Colby CC, Garden City CC, Neosho CC, Park University, Emporia State and the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
“Both the men’s and women’s teams are looking better and better with every practice and I am excited to see them in a competitive situation,” said Whittlesey.
Sophomores Kara Windisch and Rebeka Stowe will lead the charge for the women this weekend. Windisch finished fourth overall in last year’s meet, while Stowe had an impressive debut as a true freshman, finishing 15th with a time of 20:39. The Jayhawks will also enjoy the help of six new freshmen in Natalie Becker, Brenna Farren, Kyra Kilwein, Allie Marquis, Kathleen Thompson and Tessa Turcotte. The women’s team plans to use this meet to work on team building and strategy, especially in the No. 3 – No. 8 positions, so senior Lauren Bonds will be running unattached, while junior Amanda Miller will not be competing for the Crimson and Blue.
“We have been working more and more on the importance of running as a pack,” said Whittlesey. “Coach Redwine and I will be looking to see how well the team can execute the team racing in the competitive venue. We have decided to sit our top returners on the women’s team (Lauren Bonds and Amanda Miller) to see how the rest of the team will respond when they are responsible for the team score. We know what we have in our top two runners and how good we can become this year is dependent on our three-eight runners.”
On the men’s side, sophomore Donny Wasinger and senior Bret Imgrund return as the top runners from 2008. Both men finished in the top 10 at the 2008 Bob Timmons Classic and will look to lead the squad again this year. Returning letterwinners Nick Caprario, Dan Van Orsdel and Kaleb Humphreys will also compete this weekend, along with Sam Bird, Austin Bussing, Sam Cosgrove, Diego Ladron, David Roberts, Clay Schneider and Zach Zarda.
“The men’s team is running really well as a pack and we are hoping to see a very tight finish with our team from the No. 1 – No. 8 position,” said Whittlesey.
Full results, along with a complete recap of the event, will be available at www.kuathletics.com following completion of the race.
