The men’s cross-country team is the 2011 Iowa Conference Champions after finishing in first at Luther last Saturday. The first-place finish gave the Duhawks their fourth championship in school history, their last being in 1997.

Senior Dan McDermott finished first for the Duhawks as has been the story all season; and finished second overall with a time of 25:22 just eight seconds behind the first-place runner.

“I knew I had to put myself in the top two if we wanted to win as a team,” said McDermott. “I just ran the race strategy coach put out for me and I was able to come in second. It would have been nice to win the race but I would much rather have a team title.”

The rest of the Duhawks were not too far behind McDermott. Sophomore Jerry Olp finished fifth overall with a time of 25:43 and junior Austin Steil finished 13th overall with a time of 25:57 to join McDermott and Olp on the All-Conference podium as the top 15 finishers.

First-years Ty Wittman and Rob Howe finished 16th and 17th overall with times of 26:10 and 26:13, respectively, to round out the scoring for the Duhawks and also win them the Championship over Luther by three places. Junior Chris Higgins finished 21st overall and sixth for Loras and first-year Steve Loran finished 23rd overall.

McDermott described the win as a “total team effort.”

“We knew we were the best team going in, and all we had to do was run to our potential and we would win. Everybody from top to bottom on our team ran great.”

The Duhawks came within four points of winning the conference championship last season, but Luther came away with the title on Loras’ home course. It seems it was almost scripted this year as the meet was run on Luther’s home course and Loras ousted Luther by three points.

“It was amazing to go on to Luther’s home course and take the Conference Championship,” said McDermott. “They have won in the last 5 years. After losing by 11 my freshman year and 4 junior year, it was a huge relief after we won the title.”

To go along with the Iowa Conference Championship, Coach Bob Schultz was also voted the 2011 Iowa Conference Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year after the race, he is the second coach in school history to win the award.

The Duhawks will next compete in the Division III Central Region Championships on November 12th, in Waverly.

The women’s cross-country team also posted impressive results last Saturday, taking home a third-place overall finish at the Iowa Conference Championships. The team was led by two top-eight finishes by senior Genna Kinley and sophomore Mary Rector.

The Duhawks took third place by a 23-point margin, beating out Cornell, which came in seeded third in the conference. Kinley crossed the finish line first for the Duhawks en route to a 7th overall finish with a time of 23:01. Rector finished eighth overall with a time of 23:12 to receive All-Conference honors along with Kinley.

Junior Katie Flogel finished the race in 23:38 to place 16th overall. Rounding out the scoring for the Duhawks was senior Katie Hemesath (21st, 23:52) and sophomore Kellie Wagner (26th, 24:11).

“This was our goal from the beginning of the season,” said coach Bob Schultz. “We were seeded 4th coming in and finished 3rd with a pretty good margin over 4th place. The effort was terrific.”

The women now look towards competing at the Central Regional Championships on the 12th and Coach Schultz has stated that the team goal is to finish in the top eight. The girls finished 10th overall last year.

The men’s and women’s cross-country team competed in the 26th annual Roy Griak Invitational last Saturday in Minneapolis and posted impressive results in a meet that is annually one of the largest in the nation.

The men continually have posted good results all season, and they carried their success en route to a sixth-place finish in the 32-team field.

Senior Dan McDermott led the way for the Duhawks, as has been the story thus far this season, finishing 11th overall, a mere one second away from a top-10 finish at 26:06.

The next three runners to cross the finish line for the Duhawks all finished within three seconds of one another, first-year Steve Loran finished with a time of 26:46 good enough for 35th overall, junior Austin Steil crossed a mere 1.5 seconds later and junior Chris Higgins took 39th place with a time of 26:49.

Sophomore Jerry Olp returned to the lineup for the first time this season and placed 42nd overall, finishing one second behind Higgins to round out the scoring for Loras.

First-year Rob Howe placed 52nd overall and senior Chris Miller 67th. The team score of 164 was two places away from a top-5 finish overall.

In four meets this season the Duhawks have finished at no higher than 6th place, and coach Schultz described his team’s performance in Minneapolis.

“Not our best performance, but we placed well. Competition is always top notch at Griak. We beat a nationally ranked team and were close to some others,” said Schultz. First-year Steve Loran had a great race and it was nice to have Jerry Olp back in the lineup.  Senior Chris Miller made our varsity (top 7) lineup for the first time in his career.”

The Duhawks will have a two-week layoff before their next meet and hope to use the time to their advantage.

“This is what my high school coach used to call a ‘money in the bank’ week since we aren’t racing,” said Schultz. “We will train very hard and not have to worry about resting up for a race on Saturday.”

The men moved up one spot in Division III Central Region rankings to No. 4 overall following the meet on Saturday. Their next meet will be in Waverly, IA, on Oct. 8.

Schultz called his team’s performance in Minneapolis “our best meet of the season.” The women placed 11th overall as a team in the very strong 32-team field.

Senior Genna Kinley continues to set the pace for the Duhawks, finishing first for her team and 19th overall with a time of 23:15 in the field of 385 competitors.

Kinley’s time was the ninth-fastest in Loras history.

Sophomore Mary Rector placed 40th overall with a time of 24:03 and junior Katie Flogel crossed at 24:31 for a 59th-place overall finish.

Completing the scoring for the Duhawks was senior Katie Hemesath and sophomore Kellie Wagner, who finished 78th and 97th overall, respectively.

Junior Maria Kalb finished 103rd overall and freshman Hallie Martin finished 124th.

“We are getting out better,” said Schultz. “We look much more competitive during the race than our first meet. We beat some good teams and were very close to some nationally ranked teams.”

The Duhawks will try to maintain their momentum as they endure a two-week hiatus from competition.

“We need the break,” admitted Schultz. “Three races in 14 days is a lot, so I’m sure our athletes will benefit from the weekend away from racing.”

As a college student, there are just some things in life that can’t be ignored: food, sleep, money, and fun. However, one important aspect many tend to overlook, and even ignore, is transportation.

So many dilemmas surface for students who lack a means of transportation, and they miss a chance to truly experience what the tri-state area has to offer. They cannot eat a delicious local meal, have a job off campus, etc.

Having a vehicle has its downsides too: payments must be made in order to maintain it, and gas, oil changes and other repairs also empty the wallet. And God forbid there’s another hailstorm. In the end, cars require time, stress and money.

But that’s where The Jule, the city of Dubuque’s new-and-improved busing system, comes in. It doesn’t operate 24/7, but it should resolve some of your transportation needs. The city has made some significant changes to hopefully accommodate passengers who might not have been served by the bus system’s previous routes and schedules.

And the city is brainstorming of ways to better serve college students.

“Things are afoot and starting to take place,” said Barbara Morck, the city’s director of transit operations.

Right now, The Jule doesn’t have specific stops, routes, and rates designed specifically for college students. But the city is working with Loras, The University of Dubuque, and Clarke University, in order to develop a bus route that could pick up and drop off students on a regular basis.

“Right now, The Jule has a route called the Green Route that goes up and down Loras Boulevard on schedule, allowing students to catch a ride,” Morck said. “The buses are fully accessible with lifts and ramps, and they include a bike rack in case someone riding a bike gets caught in the rain.”

Although the Green Route is the nearest route for students on Loras College campus, the nearest stop is Finley Hospital near Grandview Avenue.

“Within the next couple of weeks, the college administrators of Dubuque are meeting in order to start gearing towards the students’ needs and meet them where they are at. We would also like to meet with student governments to make sure we’re on the same page.”

Making a bus route available to students at Loras has been a large part of Daniel McDermott’s “to-do list” as Senior Class Student Union President. He has been a strong advocate for reaching out to make arrangements between Dubuque’s bus system and the college ever since he began his campaign for presidency.

“Right now, we’re trying to get everyone on the same page,” McDermott said, “It’s challenging to get the ball rolling on this because, to my understanding, the final thing holding up the project is finding out where the money is coming from, which is a major issue.”

McDermott’s concern is apparent to Morck as well.

“Loras’ student government is very active in getting this into action,” Morck said. “In the future, we want to bring stops to campus where it’s easy and accessible for students, such as dorms and major buildings. Our goal is for students to be able to show their college ID and ride for free, but money is a major factor in making this a success.”

Morck is hoping to have the project will be complete so that students will have a reliable way to travel across town to their jobs, doctor appointments, etc..

“I would definitely use the transportation,” McDermott said when asked if he would use The Jule. “It’s a great way to get around and explore Dubuque.”

Currently, a bus ride on The Jule only costs $1 and it can take you to Hy-Vee, Kennedy Mall, and various other locations throughout Dubuque. Those who are interested in leaving their vehicles at home in order to save a few dollars can ride The Jule’s buses more frequently by purchasing a 10-Ride Pass or even a Monthly Pass.

For more information about The Jule and its pros and cons, routes, etc., visit www.cityofdubuque.org.