2008 Woodie Awards
Running from the rain
Nick Compton - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 11/29/07 Section: Sports
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Luckily, for Iowa women's cross-country coach Layne Anderson, senior All-American harrier Meghan Armstrong isn't a fan of rain.
While roaring to the top ranks of Oregon's high-school distance runners, Armstrong, who graduated from Tualatin High School in 2004, decided the Pacific Northwest's damp, gray climate had soaked her past saturation.
"I was tired of the rain," the All-American harrier said. "I wanted to continue running some place new."
In Iowa City, where sporadic showers quickly fade into sunshine, Anderson had just completed his first-year as head women's cross-country coach. Inheriting a program on the decline, his team struggled through his inaugural season, tying for last at the Big Ten meet in 2003. Recruiting became crucial, and in his first-ever recruiting class, he landed a champion.
"I got a tip from a good friend in Oregon," Anderson said. "He said [Armstrong] had D-I talent, and I should take a look. I told her about the program's past success and explained that what's been done before, with work, could be done again."
Four years later, Anderson's predictions have come true.
Armstrong, who has earned two track-and-field All-American awards for her accomplishments in the mile and 3,000 meters, added her first cross-country All-American distinction after recording a 13th-place finish at the 2007 NCAA meet.
"It feels really great [to become an All-American]; it's a goal I've had since I started running," Armstrong said. The honor, awarded to the nation's top-16 collegiate runners, is considered to be the holy grail of distance running, Anderson said.
"It's a phenomenal distinction," he said. "You're competing against the best runners in the nation. Not just milers, but distance runners of all distinctions."
It was Armstrong's third appearance at the national meet; she has progressed steadily from a 79th-place finish in 2005 to a 43rd-place spot in 2006 that was mere seconds away from earning All-American accolades.
While roaring to the top ranks of Oregon's high-school distance runners, Armstrong, who graduated from Tualatin High School in 2004, decided the Pacific Northwest's damp, gray climate had soaked her past saturation.
"I was tired of the rain," the All-American harrier said. "I wanted to continue running some place new."
In Iowa City, where sporadic showers quickly fade into sunshine, Anderson had just completed his first-year as head women's cross-country coach. Inheriting a program on the decline, his team struggled through his inaugural season, tying for last at the Big Ten meet in 2003. Recruiting became crucial, and in his first-ever recruiting class, he landed a champion.
"I got a tip from a good friend in Oregon," Anderson said. "He said [Armstrong] had D-I talent, and I should take a look. I told her about the program's past success and explained that what's been done before, with work, could be done again."
Four years later, Anderson's predictions have come true.
Armstrong, who has earned two track-and-field All-American awards for her accomplishments in the mile and 3,000 meters, added her first cross-country All-American distinction after recording a 13th-place finish at the 2007 NCAA meet.
"It feels really great [to become an All-American]; it's a goal I've had since I started running," Armstrong said. The honor, awarded to the nation's top-16 collegiate runners, is considered to be the holy grail of distance running, Anderson said.
"It's a phenomenal distinction," he said. "You're competing against the best runners in the nation. Not just milers, but distance runners of all distinctions."
It was Armstrong's third appearance at the national meet; she has progressed steadily from a 79th-place finish in 2005 to a 43rd-place spot in 2006 that was mere seconds away from earning All-American accolades.
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