University of Illinois
NCAA Championships
Orange and Blue Place 10th at NCAA Championships
November 24, 2008 | Women's Cross Country
Nov. 24, 2008
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TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Fighting Illini women's cross country team continued its streak of success by capturing 10th place at the NCAA Championships hosted by Indiana State on Monday. The Illini battled the wet and windy conditions of the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course and finished by achieving their main goal for the season, which was to continue their run of top-10 finishes.
The placing marks the fourth consecutive year that the Illini have placed in the nation's top 10, and they join Stanford as the only two teams in the country to post top-10 finishes in each of the last four seasons.
The Orange and Blue tallied 318 points in their fifth consecutive NCAA appearance, and were paced by their leaders - junior Angela Bizzarri and senior Katie Engel.
Bizzarri placed sixth overall to tie the Illinois record for the best NCAA Championships finish in school history, joining Marianne Dickerson who was sixth at the 1981 national meet. Earning cross country All-American honors for the third year in a row, Bizzarri finished the 6K race with a personal-best time of 19:59.
"It feels great," Bizzarri said. "It was a goal of mine all year and this is awesome for our program. This is the fourth consecutive year that we have finished in the top-10 and it is definitely something we worked toward all season."
Following Bizzarri was senior Katie Engel, who placed 22nd overall with a time of 20:31 to earn her first-ever All-American accolade. This is the first time in Illinois school history where two runners have earned All-American accolades in the same season.
"This is something we have worked for all season and it is a great feat for our program," cross country coach Jeremy Rasmussen said. "Through all of the ups and downs this season, it took a lot of convincing to let the girls know that we would be good when we needed to be and we are. We are definitely looking to continue that tradition of success down the road."
Placing third for the Illini was freshman Kristin Sutherland who was 109th overall with a time of 21:16. Sophomore Chantelle Groenewoud and junior Elizabeth Boyle also scored for the Orange and Blue, taking 124th (21:22) and 145th (21:33), respectively.
Washington easily took the team title with 79 points, while Pac-10 foe Oregon was second with a score of 131. Florida State rounded out the top three with a score of 163. Texas Tech senior Sally Kipyego captured her third consecutive national title, setting a course record with a time of 19:28. Illinois was the top finisher in the Big Ten followed by Michigan State and Minnesota (T-11th) and Michigan (16th).
Illinois Finishes
6. Angela Bizzarri 19:59
22. Katie Engel 20:31
109. Kristin Sutherland 21:17
124. Chantelle Groenewoud 21:23
145. Elizabeth Boyle 21:34
192. Theresa Brokaw 21:55
225. Stephanie Baliga 22:25
Team Finishes (Top 15)
1. Washington 79
2. Oregon 131
3. Florida State 163
4. West Virginia 198
5. Princeton 220
6. Villanova 248
7. Texas Tech 272
8. Stanford 299
9. Georgetown 305
10. ILLINOIS 318
11. Michigan State 336
11. Minnesota 336
13. Providence 340
14. Arizona State 381
15. Arkansas 404
