Nov. 16, 2006

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Fighting Illini women's cross country coach Karen Harvey garnered Midwest Regional Coach of the Year honors, as announced Thursday by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Harvey, who is in her fifth year with Illinois, is the first women's cross country coach to receive this honor in school history. The award comes after Harvey led the Orange and Blue to their first-ever Midwest Regional title on Nov. 11, with five runners finishing in the top 15.

Harvey and her squad of Illini runners will travel to Terre Haute, Ind., on Monday, Nov. 20 to compete in the 2006 NCAA National Cross Country Championship. The No. 5-ranked Orange and Blue will face the toughest challenge of their season, going head-to-head with the top 30 teams in the country.

"Anything is possible on Monday," Harvey said. "We have the potential to finish within the top four, but it will be a hard fought battle for the top 10. Our girls have been training in the recent adverse weather conditions and still are making their times. It really shows that they have teamwork and heart."

Five of the top-10 ranked teams going into the national championship hail from the Big Ten Conference, including No. 4 Michigan State, No. 5 Illinois, No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 9 Minnesota and No. 10 Michigan. There are a total of six Big Ten teams competing for the national championship, with No. 24 Iowa rounding out the group.

"The girls are extremely motivated for this race, especially because of the stacked field," Harvey said. "They won't be ready to stop during the race, because they know if they slow down, they are likely to fall behind. We need at least two low sticks to succeed on Monday, but Kevin [Sullivan] and I are really confident in this team and what they can do."

This year's trip to Nationals marks the Illini's third consecutive national berth. Illinois finished 20th in their first national competition in 2004, while in 2005, the Orange and Blue placed fifth, the program's best finish. That year, Cassie Hunt finished 11th as she set the Illinois 6K record with a time of 20:05.

The 2006 NCAA National Cross Country Championship will be hosted by Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind., Monday, Nov. 20 at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Complex. Championship events will kick-off with the women's race at 11 a.m. CT, followed by the men's race at 12:15 p.m. CT. Complete results can be found at http://www.indstate.edu/athletic/cross/championship/2006ncaa.html, while Illini results can be found at www.fightingillini.com following the competition.