NCAA Complete Team Results
NCAA Complete Individual Results

Nov. 19, 2007

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Cross country coach Jeremy Rasmussen and the Fighting Illini raced into program history today with a sixth-place finish at the 2007 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. Illinois recorded its second-best finish in school history in its fourth-consecutive year at the competition, behind its fifth-place finish in 2005. Sophomore Angela Bizzarri led the Illini with a 14th-place finish, coming in with a 6K time of 20:35, garnering All-America honors for the second-straight year.

"Overall, I was obviously very happy with our place as a team and how the girls ran today," Rasmussen said. "Going into nationals ranked 10th but knowing we could do better, and actually going out there today and placing higher speaks a lot for the girls. Angela has been our front-runner all year long, which has been a huge asset to our team. She ran a really smart race today, and went out at the start more conservatively instead of going with the pack. She worked her way up throughout the race and ended up passing about five girls in the last 600 meters."

Junior Katie Engel came in second for the Illini in 58th overall with a time of 21:14, followed by freshman Danelle Woods in 21:33. Rounding out the scorers for Illinois were sophomores Stephanie Baliga and Theresa Brokaw coming in with times of 21:44 and 21:57, respectively. Other runners for the Orange and Blue were freshman Chantelle Groenewoud (22:05) and senior Rachel Hernandez (22:33).

No. 1 Stanford claimed its third-straight national crown, accumulating 145 points. Oregon followed in second with 177 points, and Florida State in third with 256. Arizona State claimed fourth with 251 and Michigan State fifth with 321, with the Orange and Blue following by a mere 10 points in sixth with 331 points.

In the championship field of 253 runners, Sally Kipyeo of Texas Tech finished first with a time of 19:30.

The Big Ten showed its strength at the national level today, with all six representatives from the conference finishing in the top 21. Following Michigan State and Illinois in fifth and sixth place, respectively, was Iowa in tenth and Minnesota in 12th. The Badgers of Wisconsin finished the season in 20th with Michigan trailing by four points in 21st place.

"I think a big thing that made this year such a success for our team was that the girls had a lot of fun," Rasmussen said. "It makes their experience much more memorable and in return, makes it more fun for me as well. It means a lot to me knowing that these girls will leave knowing they will always be a part of the Illinois family."

Individual Results:
1) Angela Bizzarri (14)		20:35
2) Katie Engel (58)		21:14
3) Danelle Woods (99)		21:33
4) Stephanie Baliga (121)	21:44
5) Theresa Brokaw (153)		21:57
6) Chantelle Groenewoud (169)	22:05
7) Rachel Hernandez (209)	22:33

Team Results:
1) Stanford			145
2) Oregon			177
3) Florida State		236
4) Arizona State		251
5) Michigan State		321
6) Illinois			331