Illini Capture Third Consecutive Challenge Title

Friday, August 31

U of I Arboretum

5:30 PM

University of Illinois

Illini Challenge

August 31, 2007 | Men's Cross Country

Aug. 31, 2007

Illini Challenge Men's Results in PDF Format
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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The 2007 Fighting Illini men's cross country team opened their season at the UI Arboretum on Friday by claiming their third consecutive Illini Challenge title. The Orange and Blue snagged first place with 29 points and grabbed four of the top seven finishes, followed by Illinois State (40), Marquette (64), Bradley (104) and Danville Area Community College (186).

Sophomore Jacob Nachel led the way for the Illini, cruising to a first place finish with a 6k time of 18:15.30, 16 seconds faster than his previous run last year on the same course. Nachel started the race at the front of the pack and never looked back. He finished just four seconds shy of the course record, set last year at the Illini Open by fellow Illini Jeremy Stevens.

"It's good to start out the year with a good race and build confidence for the season," said Nachel. "This was a good opportunity to run together as a team and also to run against some other state schools. It's definitely a good way to get on a roll for the rest of the season."

Head coach Wendel McRaven was excited about the progress and maturity the Illini exhibited in their season opener.

"It's good to kick off the season with a win," said McRaven. "We didn't run our complete team, but the guys who ran this course last year were smart and showed how much they have matured. I was pleased with how the guys ran. They ran controlled and tried to run in groups throughout the race and they looked good."

Coming in behind Nachel was senior Mike Kelley, who finished in fourth place with a time of 18:40.96. Redshirt freshmen Michael Murray and Jared Richardson rounded out the top four finishes for the Illini, coming in sixth and seventh place, respectively.

The Orange and Blue are set to take a weekend off before heading to the Illinois Intercollegiate in Normal, Ill. on September 14. A full recap and results can be found at fightingillini.com at the conclusion of the meet.

Illinois Results

1. Jacob Nachel (1) 18:15.30
2. Michael Kelley (4) 18:40.96
3. Michael Murray (6) 18:48.88
4. Jared Richardson (7) 18:51.88
5. Tim Maier (11) 19:08.15
6. Garrett Weaver (25) 19:46.37
7. Tim Entwistle (40) 20:16.71