Nov. 7, 2007

Champaign, Ill. - The Illinois women's cross country team will travel to Peoria, Ill. on Saturday, Nov. 10, to compete in the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships. Bradley University hosts the competition with the men kicking off race day at 11 a.m., followed by the women's 6K race at 12:15 p.m. at the Newman Golf Course. The Orange and Blue will try for their fourth-consecutive berth into the NCAA Championships, which will be held on Nov. 19 in Terre Haute, Ind.

Division I teams will compete in nine regional meets across the country this weekend, holding the opportunity for 31 teams total to qualify for the national competition. The top two teams from each region, along with the top four individual runners who are not a member of an advancing team, will automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships. Thirteen additional teams will receive an at-large bid, which will be announced following regional competition. Two additional individuals will also be chosen by the NCAA committee, which will round out the field of 255.

The Illini will look for their fourth-consecutive berth into the national championships after earning their first trip in 2004. The Orange and Blue finished second at regionals for two consecutive years in 2004 and 2005, followed by their first-ever Midwest Region crown in 2006. The Illini have made three appearances at the NCAA Championships, taking home their highest placing in 2005 with a fifth-place finish.

In hopes of repeating last year's title run, the Illini are led by sophomore All-American Angela Bizzarri. Following her lead are junior Katie Engel and recently named Big Ten Freshman of the Year Danelle Woods, sophomore Stephanie Baliga, senior Rachel Hernandez, freshman Chantelle Groenewoud and junior Theresa Brokaw.

"We need to treat Saturday's race like any other qualifying meet," cross country coach Jeremy Rasmussen said. "Winning is always nice, but we are going into Saturday focused on competing well and automatically qualifying for the NCAA Championships. With the race being in central Illinois, we will have a large fan base cheering the women on, which is always nice. If we run like we have been running all year, we have a great shot at accomplishing our goal of a top two team finish."

The Orange and Blue will face off against three other USTFCCCA nationally-ranked top-30 squads in the lineup. No. 6 Minnesota leads the field followed by No. 12 Illinois, No. 19 Iowa and No. 30 Nebraska. Wichita State also received votes in the latest poll.

Complete Midwest Regional results can be found at www.fightingillini.cstv.com following the competition.