Regional Results
PEORIA, Ill. -Needing to finish as one of the first two squads in order to earn a berth at the NCAA Championships next weekend, the University of Illinois men's cross country team was in the mix from start to finish. Sitting in second with two kilometers left in the race, the Illini came up short at the NCAA Midwest Regional, finishing fifth.
Fourth-ranked Oklahoma State won the team title with 63 points, claiming a spot in next weekend's national championship field. Tulsa, the 23rd-ranked team in the country, grabbed the other automatic bid, finishing second with 77 points.
"I am really happy with how we competed today," explained head coach Jake Stewart. "We felt as though we had to be aggressive and put ourselves in the mix throughout the race, and we did that. I felt like this was our best performance of the year. I am really proud with the way we competed and I think our guys can walk out of here knowing they did everything in their power to do the best that they could."
Kirubel Erassa of Oklahoma State took the individual medalist honors, finishing in 30:09.5. Marc Scott of Tulsa was second in 30:10.3, while Sam Penzenstadler of Loyola was third in 30:11.5.
Ian Barnett was the Illini's top finisher on the afternoon. He finished 10th overall in a career-best time of 30:20.3.
"Ian had the best cross country race of his career," proclaimed Stewart. "He's had some good performances and some performances where I know he wanted more. Today he had the best performance of his career. He was running with some really good kids and he didn't back down from them at all."
Jannis Toepfer was the second Orange and Blue runner into the chute and he was not far behind Barnett. Toepfer finished 14th overall with a 30:27.9 performance.
"Jannis had a huge day for us. We wouldn't have done what we did today or the last three years without him."
Illinois' number-three runner Friday was Bryce Basting. He finished 17th in the field with a time of 30:33.7.
"I felt like we needed to have three or four guys be All-Region and Bryce put himself right in it. That being the last cross country race of his career, he can be really satisfied with his effort and what he accomplished today because he did a great job."
Barnett, Toepfer and Basting each earned All-Midwest Region recognition with their top-20 finishes. The last time the Illini had three runners in the top 20 of a regional was in 1986 when Joe Leuchtmann (10th), Jeff Jacobs (13th) and David Halle (19th) accomplished the feat.
Will Brewster was the fourth member of the Illini to cross the finish line. He finished 41st overall in a lifetime-best time of 30:54.1.
"Will had a great day," Stewart announced. "His goal was to be in the top 40 and he was 41st, and that was huge for us. I challenged him last week and he rose to that challenge. I am really proud of him for that."
Brendan McDonnell was the final scoring member of the Illini, finishing 55th in 31:05.4. Paul Zeman (31:17.5) and Garrett Lee (33:11.9) rounded out the Illinois finishers, placing 74th and 172nd, respectively.
"I think this has been a good year in terms of our consistency," acknowledged Stewart. "We put work in throughout the whole year and the guys never questioned themselves or got down on themselves. They just kept chipping away and I am really proud of them. I can't say it enough how proud I am of this group and how much they have battled."
"This program is going in the right direction," Stewart concluded. "We have good days ahead and we have to realize that. It's fine to be disappointed in the outcome from today for a short time, but in the grand scheme of things, these guys can walk out of here with their heads high and be really proud and content with the job they did today."
ILLINOIS RESULTS (out of 208)
10. Ian Barnett, 30:20.3
14. Jannis Toepfer, 30:27.9
17. Bryce Basting, 30:33.7
41. Will Brewster, 30:54.1
55. Brendan McDonnell, 31:05.4
74. Paul Zeman, 31:17.5
172. Garrett Lee, 33:11.9
TEAM RESULTS (out of 29)
1. Oklahoma State - 63
2. Tulsa - 77
3. Iowa State - 110
4. Minnesota - 128
5. Illinois - 137
