Oct. 30, 2008
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The No. 10 Illinois women's cross country team travels to Ann Arbor, Mich. this weekend for the Big Ten Championships, kicking off the championship portion of the season. The Fighting Illini will be vying for a conference title among some of the top teams in the country.
The race is set to begin at 9:45 a.m. CT on Sunday, Nov. 2 at the University of Michigan Golf Course. Four Big Ten teams are ranked among the top 10 in the nation in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll, while seven conference teams are ranked in the top 25. Leading the field is reigning conference champions and No. 7 Minnesota, No. 8 Michigan, No. 9 Michigan State and No. 10 Illinois. The Illini took fourth at last year's Big Ten Championships. Coverage from this year's meet will air Sunday night on the Big Ten Network.
"It is definitely going to be a battle," cross country coach Jeremy Rasmussen said. "Our goal is to be better than we were last year. We want to try for as many All-Big Ten runners as possible to set up for success. If we go out and do what we do every day and focus on the race plan, we will do just fine."
Leading the pack to Ann Arbor is junior four-time All-American Angela Bizzarri, who in just her second race of the season will look to place among the top runners at the meet. Bizzarri finished third at last year's Big Ten Championships and fifth in 2006, earning All-Big Ten honors both years.
The Orange and Blue will also look to senior Katie Engel, who garnered second team All-Big Ten honors last season and is running the fastest races of her career this year. Freshman Kristin Sutherland is one of the top newcomers in the conference and is also expected to be a major contributor on Sunday.
The other Illini on the Big Ten roster are senior Christina Beaird, juniors Stephanie Baliga, Elizabeth Boyle and Theresa Brokaw and sophomores Chantelle Groenewoud and Stacy Hague.
"Big Tens is one of the top races we will compete in this year," Rasmussen said. "This is why we train hard all year long. We train to get to this point and see where we're at compared to everybody else. We are going to try to go out there and surprise people, and we will have a lot of fun doing it."
After the Big Ten Championships, the Orange and Blue will have a weekend off to prepare for NCAA Midwest Regional Championships in Stillwater, Okla. on Nov. 15.
