University of Illinois
Big Ten Championships
No. 19 Illinois Places Sixth At B1G Championships
November 3, 2019 | Women's Cross Country
COLUMBUS, Ohio - No. 19 Illinois women's cross country finished sixth at the Big Ten Championships on Sunday at Ohio State. Junior Rebecca Craddock led the way, placing 18th overall in the conference 6K race with a finish time of 20:50.6. The Illini finished with a team score of 144, with four of the team's top five scorers finishing in the top-30 overall.
"Our men and women are both showing a beautiful progression," said head cross country coach Sarah Haveman. "Their dedication to our process and each other showed today. For our women, to come back to this meet a year later and go from 12 to tied for fifth is an incredible achievement. We are confident the road ahead looks even brighter and we are excited to continue to build our culture at Illinois."
After Craddock, junior Allison McGrath was next to cross for the Orange and Blue, timing 20:56.8 and placing 22nd overall. Also earning top-30 finishes were sophomores Madison Marasco and Emma Milburn, who finished 28th and 29th overall, respectively. Marasco clocked a finish of 21:08.8, and Milburn crossed a second after at 21:09.8. Rounding out the Illini scorers was junior Nicki Cast, who ran a 6K PR of 21:21.4 and placed 50th overall.
No. 19 Illinois competed in a loaded Big Ten field that featured a total of eight teams nationally ranked by USTFCCCA.
"Our women's pack continues to do great things and are beginning to find themselves as a major player in the best conference in the country," Haveman said. There's more to give and they are excited to show that."
Up next, the Illini continue on in the postseason, competing at the Midwest Regional Championships hosted by Oklahoma State on Friday, November 15. The women's 6K will lead off, beginning at 10:30 a.m. CT. The men's 10K will follow and is scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m. CT.
"Today was a great day, but really it is the days and months leading up to it that we are most proud of," Haveman said. "We are laying a great foundation at Illinois and are excited to consistently demonstrate that at the Big Ten meet and beyond. We will keep having fun and will continue to set ourselves up for success."
Team Scores
1. No. 9 Michigan State- 56
2. No. 7 Wisconsin- 62
3. No. 8 Michigan- 88
4. No. 18 Penn State- 138
5. No. 21 Ohio State- 144*
6. No. 19 Illinois- 144*
7. No. 25 Minnesota- 145
8. No. 23 Indiana- 177
9. Iowa- 273
10. Nebraska- 283
11. Purdue- 302
12. Maryland- 336
13. Northwestern- 353
14. Rutgers- 428
*Illinois and Ohio State tied for fifth, each scoring 144. Ohio State places fifth based on tiebreaker that compares both of the team's five scorers head-to-head, which narrowly gave the edge to Ohio State.
Illinois Results
18. Rebecca Craddock- 20:50.6
22. Allison McGrath- 20:56.8
28. Madison Marasco- 21:08.8
29. Emma Milburn- 21:09.8
50. Nicki Cast- 21:21.4
59. Emma Wilson- 21:33.5
69. Caroline Fix- 21:47.6
71. Olivia Howell- 21:51.1
87. Katie Stapleton- 22:15.6
For complete coverage of Fighting Illini Cross Country, visit FightingIllini.com, follow the Illini on Twitter (@IlliniTrackXC) and Instagram (illinitrackxc) and like Fighting Illini Track and Field & Cross Country on Facebook.
