University of Illinois
NCAA Region V Championships
Lucchesi Leads U of I Men To Tenth Place Finish
November 11, 2000 | Men's Cross Country
Nov. 11, 2000
WATERLOO, IOWA-- The University of Illinois men's and women's cross country teams competed at the Midwest Regional Cross Country meet today in Waterloo, Iowa, at the campus of the University of Northern Iowa. The twenty-three teams that competed from around the Midwest were all looking to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
The women, coming off of a fourth place finish at the Big Ten Championships, ran strong again, placing fifth overall with 151 team points. Kansas State won the race with 61 points, with Minnesota placing second. Missouri placed third (124 points) and Northwestern finished fourth (131 points). Sophomore Amber Hunt led the Illini charge, placing 14th in a time of 21:24 over the 6-K course. Freshman Breanna Wabick ran her best race in an Illini uniform, placing 18th in a time of 21:30. Sophomore Celi Williams (24th, 21:38) and freshmen Katie Hartmann (42nd, 22:14) and Marcy Bice (53rd, 22:29) completed the scoring for the Illini. Hunt, Wabick and Williams earned All-Regional honors for their performances.
"It was an absolute war," coach Michelle Byrne said. "I'm really pleased with our performance. Celi wasn't feeling her best, but she ran tough. The highlights were really Breanna and Katie. Breanna and Katie ran their best races for in Illinois uniforms. Amber, of course, ran great as well. We missed Erin (Frakes), but Katie and Breanna stepped up today.
"It's a waiting game now. I wouldn't be surprised if Missouri gets a bid to nationals. Northwestern has a chance, too. So we have an outside chance of getting a bid, depending on how high (the NCAA) ranks Northwestern. We'll just have to wait until Monday to see."
The men's team placed tenth overall with 284 team points. Oklahoma State won the race with 68 points. Missouri was the other automatic qualifier, placing second with 98 points.
Senior Mike Lucchesi, running his last cross country race for the orange and blue, led Illinois by placing 31st in a time of 31:21 over the 10-K course. Sophomore Aaron Wahls, continuing his late-season surge for the Illini, placed 46th in a time of 31:48. Sophomore Brent Pfeiffer ran a personal best time of 32:16, placing 62nd. Seniors Dan Horyn (70th, 32:290 and Ryan Eason (75th, 32:37) completed the scoring for Illinois.
The NCAA will officially announce the at-large team births on Monday Nov. 13. The NCAA Championships will be held Nov. 20 at Iowa State University.
