Nov. 5, 2003

Illinois' Cassie Hunt was named the women's cross country Big Ten Freshman of the Year Wednesday. Hunt is the first Illinois cross country runner, male or female, to win a Big Ten post-season honor since the award process began in 1987.

Hunt finished 12th overall at the Big Ten Championships over the weekend. She crossed the line with a personal best time of 21:36.9 and was the first freshman to finish. Her time was the second best 6,000 meter by an Illini freshman and the fifth best 6K time in school history. The award was voted on by the conference head coaches.