University of Illinois
John McNichols Invite
Men’s Cross Country Set for John McNichols Invite
September 7, 2017 | Men's Cross Country
Men’s race begins at 9 a.m. central time on Saturday
CHAMPAIGN, IL – Following a perfect dual record at the Walt Crawford Open, the Orange and Blue men's cross country team continues its 2017 season in Terre Haute, Indiana at the John McNichols Invite. The men will send out six runners for the 9 a.m. central time 8,000-meter race. The Illinois women's squad will be back in action on September 22 at the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown meet.
| John McNichols Invite | |
|---|---|
| When | Saturday, September 9 |
| Where | Lavern Gibson Cross Country Course // Terre Haute, Ind. |
| Meet Information | Meet Information | Men's Entries | Results | 8K Map |
| Team Information | Meet Notes | Media Guide | Quick Facts |
| Social Media | @IlliniMXC  | #Illini | @Illinimxc  | Facebook  | YouTube  |
Follow the Meet
Follow @IlliniMXC and @IlliniWXC on Twitter for updates throughout the meet. A full recap of both men's and women's races will be provided on fightingillini.com following the conclusion of the meet.
Running for the Illini
Men: Joe Cowlin, Alex Gold, Jack LaLonde, Garrett Lee, Billy Magnesen and Zack Smith
Know The Course
The John McNichols Invite is run on a 250-acre complex that features rolling hills and natural boundaries to mark the course. A familiar ground for the Illini men, the Orange and Blue will race on the same course as last season's NCAA Championship meet. Illini redshirt junior Zack Smith timed 31:51.9 in the 10,000-meter race last November.
A Look At The Competition
Seven other teams join the Fighting Illini in Saturday's race. Louisville headlines the list of opposing teams, while Butler also joins the filed with the Illini and, host, Indiana State.
Last Time Out
The Fighting Illini cross country program swept the double-dual meet at Eastern Illinois to begin the 2017 season, finishing a, combined, 9-0. The men used five top-10 finishes to win each of their five duals, while the women added in three top-10 placers to go 4-0. Redshirt freshman Alex Keeble (25:17.71) recorded the team's top time in the men's race and true freshman Rebecca Craddock (17:58.72) was the first Illini across the finish line.
Fighting Illini Begin First Season As Combined Program
Following the consolidation of the Illinois cross country and track programs, Jake Stewart has been charged with leading both the men's and women's distance programs. Now in his sixth season at Illinois, Stewart led the men's team for the previous five years and most recently led the squad to its first NCAA Cross Country Championship appearance in 30 years. Sarah Haveman joins the staff as an assistant coach after spending five years coaching at Dayton.
Illini Men Ranked Nationally
The Fighting Illini men's cross country team will begin the 2017 season ranked 27th nationally, as the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released its preseason poll on Tuesday afternoon. Illinois also enters the season tabbed third in the Midwest region, which was announced on Monday. The Illini are one of three Big Ten schools in the national rankings, joining No. 7 Wisconsin and No. 23 Michigan State.
Branching Out
Leading a young women's squad in the first year under Coach Stewart will be senior Denise Branch. Having finished first or second on the team in every race she competed in last fall, Branch will look to build a foundation for success in 2017 and beyond. Branch's best time of the season came at the Iowa Regional Preview meet last October where her personal-record 6,000m time of 21:19 helped lead the Illini to the team title. The Brooklyn, New York native carried that success into the track season where she set new personal-best times in the mile, 1500m, 3,000m and 5,000m.
Illini Men Bring Championship Experience
Not only did the Illini advance to NCAA Cross Country Championships for the first time since 1986, placing 23rd, the group did so with a lineup mainly comprised of underclassmen. The Illini are just one of four teams to return five or more runners from last year's NCAA lineup, tying Iowa State and Virginia and just one behind Southern Utah's six returners. Each of the five Illini back in 2017 have two years of eligibility remaining, including Jon Davis and Zach Dale who are only entering their sophomore season.
Illini Women Feature 16 Underclassmen
With the change in leadership on the women's side, the team itself will also look new with 10 incoming freshman joining the team this fall to go along with six returning sophomores. Delaney Appino, Alana Austin, Madeline Bruce, Kelli Callahan, Nicki Cast, Rebecca Craddock, Caroline Fix, Mikaela Lucki, Allison McGrath and Katie Stapleton all begin their Illini careers this fall.
Up Next
The Orange and Blue will take a week away from racing before returning to competition on Friday, September 22. The Illini will travel to Boston, Massachusetts for the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantwon meet on the campus of Boston College. The women's race begins at 2 p.m. central time follow by the men's race at 2:30 p.m.
For complete coverage of Fighting Illini cross country, visit FightingIllini.com, follow the Illini on Twitter (@IlliniMXC and @IlliniWXC) and Instagram (@IlliniMXC and @IlliniWXC) and like Fighting Illini Men's Cross Country and Fighting Illini Women's Cross Country on Facebook.
