University of Illinois
Greater Louisville Classic
@IlliniMXC Travel to Greater Louisville Classic
October 2, 2015 | Men's Cross Country
Nine Illini Set to Run
Greater Louisville Classic Meet Notes
MEET PREVIEW
The Orange and Blue will look to put their best foot forward as they send their top-nine guys to compete at the Greater Louisville Classic on Saturday, October 3 at 8:30am central time.
COACH STEWART ON THE MEET
"I'm excited. I think the group is excited. We were kind of discussing it that it's felt like a long build up. It seems a lot later in the season than [it is]. I think the group is well aware of what they've done to perpare for this and what they're capable of doing, and I'm excited to get into that environment and get going. It's time to start rolling, and there's a general sense of excitement among the group."
ILLINI SET TO RUN
The Illini will send their nine best to Louisville this weekend as they take on a highly competitive field. The group will be a mix of veterans and up-and-coming underclassmen as the team hopes to take the next step this season. Seniors Ian Barnett, Paul Zeman, and Liam Markham will give the Illini experience at the meet, as will juniors Dylan Lafond and Sean Pengelly. Joining the veterans will be redshirt-freshmen Dan Lathrop, Billy Magnesen, Zack Smith, and true-freshman Jesse Reiser.
A LOOK AT THE COMPETITION
The 2015 edition of the Greater Louisville Classic will feature 118 colleges and universities from 23 different states and Canada. Headlining the compeition will be USTFCCCA ranked Big Ten foes Wisconsin (#4) and Michigan (#10), as well as Iona(#8) and Mississippi (#13). Wisconsin's Malachy Schrobilgen and Michigan's Mason Ferlic will be the top Big Ten individual runners lacing it up on Saturday.
LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, the Fighting Illini traveled to Rock Island, Illinois for the Brissman-Lundeen Classic where they took home the team crown and saw three guys finish in the top-10. Ian Barnett made his season-debut for the Orange and Blue, taking second-place overall with a time of 24:27.2. Coming in behind Barnett was Jereme Atchison and Gold, finishing fourth and fifth respectively. For Atchison, it was his second consecutive strong performance that ultimately pushed him into this week's group going to Louisville. Rounding out the group was Joe Cowlin (23rd), Garrett Lee (31st), and Joe McAsey (167).
2015 Brissman-Lundeen Invite - Illinois Results
2. Ian Barnett, 24:27.2
4. Jereme Atchison, 24:45.6
5. Alex Gold, 24:48.3
23. Joe Cowlin, 25:28.3
31. Garrett Lee, 25:41.5
167. Joe McAsey, 27:39.4
UP NEXT
The Fighting Illini will have a week away from competition to recover and prepare for a split-squad weekend where one group will head to the adidas Invite in Madison, Wisconsin and the other group will travel to Peoria, Illinois for the Bradley "Pink" Classic.
