University of Illinois
Big Ten Championship
Illinois Cross Country Teams Compete At Big Ten Championships
November 3, 2002 | Women's Cross Country
Nov. 3, 2002
West Lafayette, Ind. - The outcomes were about what coaches Gary Wieneke and Karen Harvey expected this weekend as the Illinois men's and women's cross country teams finished eighth and ninth respectively at the 2002 Big Ten Cross Country Championship hosted by Purdue University today in West Lafayette, Ind.
Both squads got nice individual performances from some of their younger runners as freshman Jason Bill led the Illini men with a 21st-place individual showing, while sophomore Jaime Turilli finished 39th to lead the Illini women.
For Gary Wieneke's men's team, the Illini improved two spots from last season's 10th-place finish thanks to the effort of Bill. Despite competing against one of the stronger field's the conference has boasted in many years, Bill finished 21st overall with a time of 24:48.2 to lead the Illini for the second consecutive race.
"I was pretty impressed with Jason today," Gary Wieneke said. "This is really a tough conference to compete against right now. There is so much talent in the Big Ten right now that it is tough for anyone let alone a freshman to come in and do what he did. But he really stood up and ran a great race for us. He's a guy that contributes to the depth of the conference."
Following Bill were seniors John Kronforst and Justin Mitchell who both ran steady races to solidify Illinois' best conference finish since 1999. Kronforst was Illinois' second scorer with a 37th-place finish in a time of 25:08.8, while Mitchell finished just behind in 38th with a time of 25:09.1. Freshman Paul Jellema was the team's fourth scorer. Despite missing the first half of the season with an injury, Jellema regrouped to finish 49th in a time of 25:26.6. Rounding out the Illinois scoring was junior Adam Palumbo who finished 56th with a time of 25:39.3.
Karen Harvey's women's team also defeated a pair of Big Ten foes this afternoon as they topped Ohio State and Iowa to finish ninth overall. Like the men, Harvey got solid efforts from some of her younger runners as Turilli led the Illini with a 39th-place individual finish. The Bloomington, Ill., native finished with a time of 18:29.1, just ahead of teammate Erin Frakes who finished 43rd in a time of 18:36.6.
"I think we are a little disappointed right now because we should have finished eighth," Harvey said. " I expect a lot out of this team each time they race and we had a couple of runners not finish where they could and should have. I thought Jaime ran a good race today, but I was really pleased with Erin. She's been battling injuries but she's never quit. She has really improved recently and her performance today is a testament to that."
Senior Celi Dietzen was Illinois' third scorer. The Elmhurst, Ill., native finished 55th overall in a time of 19:00.4 to wrap up her Big Ten Championship career. Freshman Elizabeth Pinzarrone was Illinois' fourth scorer in a time of 19:01.1, while Tabitha Volling rounded out the Illinois scoring in a time of 19:09.9.
The Illinois men's and women's cross country teams return to action in two weeks when they travel to Illinois State to compete in the NCAA Midwest Regional. The meet will be held on Saturday Nov. 16 at 10 a.m.
Team Scores Women:
1. Michigan 70
2. Michigan State 73
3. Indiana 81
4. Penn State 94
5. Wisconsin 107
6. Minnesota 123
7. Northwestern 132
8. Purdue 228
9. Illinois 255
10. Ohio State 295
10. Iowa 333
Illinois Women Individual Finishes:
39. Jaime Turilli 18:29.1
43. Erin Frakes 18:36.6
55. Cecelia Dietzen 19:00.4
57. Elizabeth Pinzarrone 19:01.1
61. Tabitha Volling 19:09.9
62. Casie Simpson 19:21.9
64. Leigh Anne Kenyon 19:29.0
83. Amy Guard 19:43.4
