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CHAMPAIGN, ILL. – The Fighting Illini Women's Cross-Country team begins their 2016 campaign with the Illini Challenge on Friday, September 2. The Illini enter the new season with a veteran squad, led by 10 upperclassmen. Of the 10 juniors and seniors, seven of them ran at Big Ten Championships last season, giving Head Coach Scott Jones both experience and depth in his lineup.

"It's good that we have people that have experience," said Jones. This year, everyone finds themselves in a little bit of a different role since Alyssa [Schneider] and Britten [Petrey] graduated. There will be a little bit of self-discovery as we identify roles, in terms of leadership, both on the course and off of it. But, because it's people that have been around, it makes things easier and more efficient in practice. We know each other, coach-athlete and athlete-athlete, so I think it will make for a much more closely-nit group, and a more productive season."

One of the veteran runners Coach Jones will rely on in 2016 is senior Valerie Bobart. The Glenbrook North, Illinois native had her best runs last season during the postseason, notching personal-best 6K times at both Big Ten Championships and NCAA Regionals. The Northbrook, Illinois native carried that November success onto the track where she advanced to NCAA Prelims in the steeplechase for the first time in her career.

"Runners coming off a successful track seasons that are healthy and able to get back into summer training, there's a strong correlation with having a strong cross-country season that fall," explained Jones. "So, purely from a physical standpoint I think Valerie is in a great place. The fact that she has projected herself into being a NCAA competitor has instilled a new level of confidence in her, not just in the steeplechase but also as a runner. I think we'll see that this cross-country season."

Another key cog for the Orange & Blue in 2016 will be red-shirt junior Audrey Blazek. Like Bobart, Blazek performed well at Big Ten Championships last November, setting a personal-best mark and finishing tops among all returning Illini. The Naperville, Illinois product also showed her ability to lead the team at the Griak Invite last year, a course the Illini will see twice this season with the conference meet held in Minneapolis, Minnesota in late October. 

"Audrey is someone who has been really consistent with her training," said Jones. "I think that was one of the Hallmark's of Alyssa [Schneider], which enabled her to achieve at such a high level. I think she's put things in place to be able to achieve at the level she's capable of. Having had that kind of success last year, and having that kind of leadership, is something that we will really value for this year. Her contributions are often behind the scenes, like at Griak, where she's someone who has helped organize and lead the group. I think she's going to play a big role in our success."

Rounding out the veteran unit will be fellow seniors Hanna Winter, Kim Seger, Megan Lemersal, Amanda Fox and juniors Denise Branch and Nicole Choquette. With four of the six setting personal-best 6K times at Big Ten Championships last season, the group will seek to carry that progress into 2016.

Although the Illini will rely primarily on upperclassmen, the squad welcomes eight true freshmen to the roster. Among the eight, Charlotte Nawor, Grace Rogers and Diane Lipa each posted top-25 finishes at IHSA State Championships during their high school careers.

"We have a mix of athletes in our freshmen class," explained Jones. "Some are more middle distance-type runners, so their development for cross-country will be on a different pace than for the longer distance runners. Probably the three main contributors for us this season will be Charlotte Nawor, Grace Rogers and Diane Lipa. I see them coming in and contributing to the depth of our group."  

For complete coverage of Fighting Illini Women's Cross-Country, visit fightingillini.com and following @IlliniWXC on Twitter and Instagram.