University of Illinois
Big Ten Championships
Schneider Places Third at B1G Championships
November 1, 2015 | Women's Cross Country
Team Takes 8th, Best Since 2009
CHICAGO, ILL. – Senior Alyssa Schneider turned in her best performance as a Fighting Illini today along the shores of Lake Michigan, setting a personal-best 6K time of 19:58.6. Her run was good enough to place third overall, earning her First Team All-Conference honors. The team improved upon their 2014 Big Ten Championships performance by placing eighth overall, their best finish since 2009.
"I think the overall team performance was one of modest improvement. We had higher aspirations, and I think we had the opportunity to do better. I wish we could have been more assertive about improving our positioning and 100% earning it. But, we did move up a spot from where we've been and where we were projected, so we'll take that as a positive."
Schneider led the way for the Illini from start to finish, getting out in the lead group and maintaining that throughout the race. She was in 11th place through the first of the three laps, but made her move in the second lap where she passed eight runners to take a hold of third-place, a spot she would not relinquish. Her 19:58.6 mark moved her into second-place all-time on the school's 6K Top-10 list.
"I can't say enough about Alyssa Schneider's race. We knew she had a high level of fitness; there was a little bit of tentativeness because she hasn't raced since September, but she handled the uncertainty like a pro and was rewarded with a third-place finish. I was really proud of what she did in this race, and really what she's done for the three cross-country seasons that I've coached her here."
Schneider had not run in over a month due a nagging injury that kept her out of the team's October races, notably Pre-Nationals on October 17. However, her experience allowed her to remain composed during today's race.
"I definitely had some nerves, but I was trying to pull confidence from all my years of college, and just building on that," said Schneider. "I was really focusing on relaxing and trying to make it a smooth transition, and I think I did it right with perfect timing."
Schneider's performance wasn't the only individual race that caught Coach Jones' eye as Britten Petrey closed well and came in 28th overall, besting last year's Big Ten Championships performance by over thirty seconds with a mark of 20:55.8.
Audrey Blazek was the next in an orange uniform to cross the finish line, clocking in at 21:35.6, 58th overall. Hanna Winter came through the chute ten seconds after Blazek, finishing 67th, with Denise Branch crossing two seconds later to finish 70th.
"I was pleased with Britten Petrey's performance, and I also thought that Audrey Blazek and Denise Branch stepped up and had good races for us. So, those four really did a good job and doing better as a team."
The Illini rounded out their point-scorers with Valerie Bobart (22:21.8) and Megan Lemersal (22:24.4) going back-to-back to finish 88th and 89th, respectively.
Kim Seger (98th/22:52.8) and Nicole Choquette (101st/23:01.5) closed out the day for the Illini.
The Fighting Illini will return to action in two weeks when they head to Lawrence, Kansas for the NCAA Midwest Regional meet on November 13.
"It was a good step for us, we did what we could on the day, and we'll be ready in two weeks," said Schneider.
TEAM SCORES (out of 14):
- Penn State – 53
- Michigan – 58
- Michigan State – 104
- Minnesota – 106
- Wisconsin – 139
- Purdue – 149
- Ohio State – 211
- ILLINOIS – 212
- Indiana – 214
- Iowa – 319
- Maryland – 362
- Northwestern – 364
- Nebraska – 369
- Rutgers – 369
INDIVIDUAL SCORES (out of 122):
3. Alyssa Schneider, 19:58.6
28. Britten Petrey, 20:55.8
58. Audrey Blazek, 21:35.6
67. Hanna Winter, 21:45.2
70. Denise Branch, 21:47.3
88. Valerie Bobart, 22:21.8
89. Megan Lemersal, 22:24.4
98. Kim Seger, 22:52.8
101. Nicole Choquette, 23:01.5
