2002 Women's Cross Country Season in Review

Entering the 2002 cross country season, the Cornhusker women knew that they had many miles to cover before even considering a trip to the NCAA Championships. Only two athletes with NCAA experience returned in Kathryn Handrup and Ann Gaffigan. Prior to the first meet, Handrup suffered another in a series of stress fractures, which has plagued her throughout her career. She was forced to redshirt the season. Gaffigan, who has suffered with sporadic problems resulting from a viral infection dating back to the early part of the 2002 indoor season, was hopeful she could return to the NCAA Championships where she competed in 2001. With only four healthy returnees, and three newcomers when the season began, it was obvious that this would be a year of learning and gaining experience, rather than striving for high team finishes in the championship meets.

Few first-year runners are competitive enough when they start their collegiate careers to handle the tough schedule that Nebraska lines up every year, according to Head Coach Jay Dirksen.

"It takes time to adjust to the longer 6K racing distance in college and the overall quality of older mature competitors," Dirksen said. "Maturing as a distance runner takes time and there are no shortcuts to getting to the level where they are competitive."

The first meet of the year came on Sept. 7, when NU headed up the road to the Creighton/UNO Invitational held at the Chalco Hills Recreation Area west of Omaha. The young Huskers ran the low-key meet without their leader, Gaffigan, who chose to train instead of race that weekend. Nebraska also faced a tough challenge from sunny weather that reached into the upper 80s. Despite finishing second behind a more seasoned University of Iowa team, it was a good opener for all who competed. Sophomore Anne Shadle led the way for the Huskers with her fourth-place finish, while newcomer transfer Kayte Tranel and freshman Kim Pancoast were close behind in sixth and seventh place, respectively.

The next weekend the entire team took the starting line hoping to reclaim their first team title in the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational since 1998. The race was lengthened for the first time to a 6,000-meter course instead of the 5,000-meter layout that had been used in the past. Gaffigan led the way for Nebraska with her fourth-place finish (first among University Division runners) in a huge field of 238 runners. When the dust settled, Bradley University just edged the Husker harriers by a mere six points. Shadle showed continued improvement with her 13th-place finish.

"Anne had a very good opening meet at the Woody Greeno," Dirksen said. "It was a nice starting point for her, and I think it helped set the tone for the rest of her season. She competed at a much higher level than she did in 2001."

Following the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational, Pancoast, who finished amoung the top four Husker harriers, was diagnosed with a stress fracture of the femur and was out for the rest of the season. The Big 12 Conference granted her a medical hardship for the season so she returns for the 2003 season with four years of eligibility remaining. Without Handrup and Pancoast, only six runners remained for the rest of the season.

The University of Minnesota annually hosts the Roy Griak Invitational in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Sept. 28 meet draws teams from all over the country and is considered one of the top two or three regular meets of the season according to Dirksen. Nebraska raced admirably and finished in 14th place among the 22 teams that competed. Gaffigan once again led the way for the Huskers with her excellent 15th-place individual performance over the tough 6,000-meter course (21:36.1). Tranel finished strong in 54th place, in 22:24.2, in the field of 196 runners, and Shadle made another strong showing with a 75th-place finish.

The Indiana State Invitational was held on the NCAA Championship course on Oct. 5 in Terre Haute, Ind. A strong field of 20 teams toed the line for the womens race. The young, inexperienced Huskers finished 10th, which pleased Dirksen. Gaffigan ran another great individual race, placing ninth in 21:42.7. Gaffigan's performance earned her Big 12 Runner of the Week recognition. Tranel and Shadle finished 41st and 58th, respectively, and had solid races once again.

Two weeks later the team headed to Fayetteville, Ark., for the Chili Pepper Cross Country Festival held on the University of Arkansas cross country 6,000-meter course. Facing a potent field of 25 teams from around the nation, Nebraska tied for eighth as host Arkansas won the meet for the 16th consecutive year. Gaffigan, Tranel and Shadle led the Huskers with their 10th, 26th, and 45th place finishes, respectively.

During the two weeks following the Chili Pepper race, the Huskers prepared for the Big 12 Conference Championships hosted by the University of Missouri at their hilly course on Nov. 2. Third-ranked Colorado easily won in one of the best conference meets in the country. For the first time in the season, Nebraska performed below expectations. Gaffigan, suffereing from an asthma attack, finished only 27th. Tranel, Shadle, Michaela Lenihan, Michele Steube, and Monica Barger followed her through the chute.

On Nov. 16, the NCAA Midwest Region Championships were held on the Illinois State University Golf Course in Normal, Ill. Nebraksa finished 13th amoung the 23 full teams with a much better showing than they made in the Big 12 Championships. Gaffigan ran a gutsy race to finish 10th, in her fastest time over a 6,000-meter course (20:59.61). Tranel followed with her best race of the season with a 23rd-place time of 21:32.83 which made her an All-Midwest Region runner, an award handed out to the top 25 in the race. Shadle's 39th-place time of 21:50.33 was her fastest race over 6,000 meters.

"We learned a lot about our team this year," Dirksen said. "With the return of Handrup and Pancoast and the improvement that comes with another year of traning and experience, we will be able to make big improvements over the 2002 season. We need to get back into the top half of the Big 12 and Midwest Region. I do not see any reason why that cannot happen."