Sept. 28, 2005

Illinois women's cross country, ranked 20th in the NCAA FinishLynx polls, will travel to South Bend, Ind. on Friday to compete in the 50th annual Notre Dame Invitational. The race will mark the Illini's first competitive appearance at Notre Dame in the program's history.

Juniors Cassie Hunt and Stephanie Simms will make their season debuts at this weekend's meet after charting impressive numbers in an early season time trial. The veterans are anticipated to lead the Illini effort by pushing the team to keep the pace and stay together.

"We are going to run as a pack as much as possible," said head coach Karen Harvey of the team's strategy. "The girls are very fit and have trained very hard. They are all anxious to race, and Notre Dame's race will provide an excellent stage to prove their fitness."

The Illini will face a variety of ranked competition in South Bend, including Notre Dame (3), Michigan (5), Arkansas (10), Wake Forest (12), and Butler (18).

The Orange and Blue will begin the 5K race at 4:15 p.m. on Friday. Illini results can be found at www.fightingillini.com following the event.