Sometimes you just need a break.
Minnesota’s men’s cross country squad has been idle since Sept. 28, and has apparently benefitted from the extra time to prepare. They placed third on Saturday at the Iowa State Memorial Classic in Ames, Iowa.
“We were just a little better prepared,” Todd Landgraff said. “We’re starting to taper down and cut out long runs. Everyone is not so worn out anymore.”
Senior captain Rick Obleman led the way for Minnesota, taking 13th place with a time of 26 minutes, 15 seconds on the 8,000-meter race. Obleman was coming off a difficult race at the Roy Griak Invitational three weeks ago in which he placed fifth on the team.
“He just had an off race,” Riter said of Obleman. “He’s going to race well from here on out. He’s right where he should be.”
Jeremy Polson finished just 13 seconds behind Obleman in 16th place for the Gophers. The freshman has placed first on the team once and second three times in Minnesota’s four competitions this season.
Landgraff was 18th in 26:35 for the Gophers. Tony Riter, a senior, took 22nd with a time of 26:45. Both runners cut almost a minute from their times.
Even though the individual runners’ times were not particularly impressive, their team finish was. Minnesota beat out 9 of the 11 teams, beating several talented squads in the process.
“We placed third and beat Kansas this weekend,” Riter said. “Everybody ran well, and the team as a whole ran better.”
Minnesota hosts the Marathon Sports five-kilometer race on Saturday at the University’s Les Bolstad Golf Course on the St. Paul campus.
On Nov. 2, the Gophers top 10 harriers will travel to Bloomington, Ind., for the Big Ten Cross Country Championships.