University of Illinois
NCAA Midwest Regionals
Illini Claim First-Ever Midwest Regional Crown
November 11, 2006 | Women's Cross Country
Nov. 11, 2006
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. - The Fighting Illini women's cross country team claimed its first NCAA Midwest Regional Championship title in program history Saturday morning at the Les Bolstad University Golf Course on the University of Minnesota campus in Falcon Heights. The title automatically qualifies the Illini for their third berth to the NCAA National Championships to be held on Nov. 20.
"We got out to an aggressive start today," head coach Karen Harvey said. "We were packed up from the get go and stayed tight throughout the race. We've been doing that in practice but haven't been able to bring it into a racing situation until today. The pack was a huge key to our performance."
The Orange and Blue tallied a mere 44 team points in their regional championship effort, thanks to the performances of five Illini that finished within the top 15. Freshman Angela Bizzarri led the Illinois charge as the second individual competitor to cross the finish line with a time of 20:47. Following closely was senior Stephanie Simms in fifth-place. Sophomore Maggie Carroll, senior Cassie Hunt and freshman Stephanie Baliga rounded out the Illini's scorers, bombarding the finish line with a wave of orange as the 11th, 12th and 14th finishers, respectively.
"Angela [Bizzarri] ran really smart," Harvey continued. "Second in regionals is a great place for a freshman to be. Maggie Carroll's awesome performance was also huge today. The girls are finally showing what they can do and will only continue to improve."
Also automatically advancing to Nationals are the Golden Gophers of Minnesota, who entered Saturday's regional race ranked No. 6 in the United States Track & Field & Cross Country Coaches' Association's top 30 poll.
The Fighting Illini will compete in the NCAA National Cross Country Championships on Monday, Nov. 20 in Terre Haute, Ind., at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center.
Illini Results: 1) Angela Bizzarri (2) 20:47.32 2) Stephanie Simms (5) 21:02.12 3) Maggie Carroll (11) 21:17.57 4) Cassie Hunt (12) 21:19.17 5) Stephanie Baliga (14) 21:30.47 6) Katie Engel (18) 21:44.02 7) Rachel Hernandez (31) 22:00.17Team Results: 1) Illinois - 44 2) Minnesota - 49 3) Iowa - 118 4) Nebraska - 141 5) Oklahoma State - 175
