Sept. 22, 2001

Final Stats

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The University of Illinois women's and men's cross country teams finished fifth and sixth respectively at the 2001 Illinois Invitational, Saturday at the Orange and Blue Golf Course in Savoy, Ill.

The event featured 15 teams competing in the 5,000 meter women's race and 14 teams squaring off in the 8,000 meter men's competition.

In the women's event, coach Michelle Byrne caught a glimpse of this season's depth as sophomore Erin Frakes paced the Illinois charge. Frakes had one of the best races of her career, finishing 12th overall in a career-best time of 17:58. The Taylor Ridge, Ill., native was able to earn the finish by holding off teammate Jamie Turilli. Turilli, running in her second race of the season, finished a career-best 14th with a time of 17:59.

"I think we ran a real solid race," Byrne said. "Celi had an off day, but our other runners really stepped up their performance. I think that Jamie ran an outstanding race and to get a performance like we got from Erin Frakes is great. I feel like we laid some of the groundwork for what we are hoping to accomplish this season. We just need to keep improving."

Celi Dietzen was the third scorer for Illinois, who finished the day with 101 team points. Dietzen finished 16th overall in a time of 18:10. Rounding out the scoring for the women's team were Marcy Bice who finished 26th with a time of 18:19 and Amy Guard who finished 38th in a time of 18:31.

Wichita State won the event with a team total of 66 points, while Northwestern junior Rachel Evjen won the race with a time of 17:22.

On the men's side, head coach Gary Wieneke is seeing his club improve from week-to-week. His runners finished sixth in the race with 105 team points, but had only one Midwest Regional opponent finish ahead of his squad.

For the second time in as many meets, the Illini were paced by John Kronforst and Justin Mitchell. Kronforst led Illinois finishing 16th overall in a time of 24:44, the best time in his career and one second ahead of Mitchell. Mitchell, a Geneva, Ill., native, finished 17th overall in a time of 24:45.

"We are improving, but just need to keep doing it a little faster," Wieneke said. "If you look at our last meet and compare it to this one, you can see an improvement. I was really happy with the way Justin Mitchell ran. He is a leader on this team and has closed the gap between him and John Kronforst. We want those guys competing, because that can make this team better."

Rounding out the scoring for the men's team were Adam Palumbo, who finished 32nd with a time of 25:04, Aaron Wahls, who came in 40th with a time of 25:17 and Rich Lin who finished 54th with a time of 25:32.

The United States Naval Academy won the event with a team total of 87 points, while Butler runner Justin Young claimed the individual title with a time of 24:05.

# Illinois #