Nov. 2, 2014

Photo Gallery | Results

IOWA CITY, Iowa - The University of Illinois men's cross country team ran at the Big Ten Championships on Sunday. The Illini finished sixth in the 12-team race at Ashton Cross Country Course on the University of Iowa campus.

"Our guys ran fast today," acknowledged head coach Jake Stewart. "We had the second-closest one-to-five gap in the field. The plan was to get to the last part of the race where we wanted to be and we did that. At the 6K we were in really good shape but just couldn't close it out. This is a really good conference so that's the way it goes sometimes."

As noted by Stewart, the gap between the Illini's first and fifth runners was just 28 seconds. Only Penn State had a smaller gap at 27.5 seconds.

Jannis Toepfer was the first of the Orange and Blue runners into the chute, finishing in 23rd with a time of 24:14.8. Ian Barnett was right behind him in 24th, crossing the finish line in 24:15.2. Bryce Basting's 24:20.7 showing garnered him a 30th-place finish, while Brendan McDonnell finished 38th in 24:27.8. Paul Zeman was the fifth finisher for Illinois, recording a lifetime best of 24:42.7. Will Brewster (24:47.4) and Garrett Lee (24:52.5) finished 52nd and 53rd, respectively. Lee's time was also a personal best.

Malachy Schrobilgen of Wisconsin won the individual title for the second-straight year, finishing with a time of 23:35.0. Fellow Badger Michael Vanvoorhis earned runner-up honors with a 23:37.6 showing.

Wisconsin, the sixth-ranked team in the nation, won the team title with 47 points. Michigan, number 14 in the USTFCCCA poll, was the runner-up with 77 points. Penn State (92), No. 20 Indiana (95) and No. 22 Michigan State (117) rounded out the top five.

"The five teams in front of us and the team behind us have all been ranked at some point this year," noted Stewart. "For us to come in and be in the mix with those teams is encouraging. We had higher expectations and the guys wanted more out of today, but they understand that we are capable of performing better. That's something I was happy to hear from our guys."

The Orange and Blue will return to action on Nov. 14 at the NCAA Midwest Regional. This year's meet will be held in Peoria, Ill. and is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. CT.

"We can get a little work in between now and the regional meet, but I really think we are in a good spot," concluded Stewart. "Our fitness level is high and the group is ready to run well. Now it's just a matter of going out and doing it."

ILLINOIS RESULTS (out of 105)
23. Jannis Toepfer, 24:14.8
24. Ian Barnett, 24:15.2
30. Bryce Basting, 24:20.7
38. Brendan McDonnell, 24:27.8
45. Paul Zeman, 24:42.7
52. Will Brewster, 24:47.4
53. Garrett Lee, 24:52.5
56. Liam Markham, 24:56.1
92. Alex Gold, 25:58.3

TEAM RESULTS (out of 12)
1. Wisconsin - 47
2. Michigan - 77
3. Penn State - 92
4. Indiana - 95
5. Michigan State - 117
6. Illinois - 159