Full Results Here
The Orange and Blue placed third this morning at the Bluegrass Invitational, scoring 50 points and coming up just short of Kentucky (47) and Eastern Kentucky (44). The Illini captured third place by having three runners finish in the top-10, including Sean Pengelly who led the way with his fifth-place finish in his Illini debut. Three redshirt freshman contributed to the third-place finish, each finishing within the top-15 overall.
"I think it was pretty consistent with what a lot of teams expect in their first significant competition of the year," said coach Jake Stewart. "I think we had some good things happen, and we probably had some races for some of our guys that weren't quite as satisfied with what their expectations were. Overall, I think it was a good day. It was probably a better start then we've gotten off to in the last couple years. It's certainly a day that gives us an idea of some of the work we have to do in the weeks to come."
The seven Fighting Illini all finished in the top-30 of the meet, with six of those coming in the top-20. Sean Pengelly had a strong showing in his Illini debut, crossing the finish line with a time of 24:35.9 and placing fifth overall. The junior transferred from Michigan Tech after setting the school record in both the 5K and 10K.
"For Sean and us was a learning process today. It was the first time we've seen him in the competitive environment," said Stewart. "And, I thought he ran a very intelligent race. He put himself up in the front pack early on and was very competitive. There were some guys he was racing with and trying to beat that were All-Americans in cross-country and on the track, so he felt as though he could have done better. It will help me gauge what he needs to do through the course of a race going forward. I think he can be happy with his debut, but I think he still has a lot of good running in the next few months."
Redshirt freshman Zack Smith was close behind Pengelly, finishing two seconds off his pace with a mark of 24:37.5, sixth overall. The third Illini in the top-10 was another redshirt freshman, Billy Magnesen. Magnesen ran the 8K in 24:48.3 and finished in ninth.
"I thought Zack Smith and Billy Magnesen had very good days. They competed really well and in the last 3,000 meters they really worked off one another to move through the field and closed well. For those guys to open up in their first 8K in a uniform, and run the way they did, is very promising. They're going to get better as they get more experience and I thought they competed in a way that you want to see their guys compete, especially as redshirt freshman."
Dan Lathrop (24:56.2), Paul Zeman (24:58.1), and Garrett Lee (25:00.7) all came across the line within four seconds of each other, placing 14th, 16th, and 17th respectively. Rounding out the group today was Alex Gold who placed 30th overall with a time of 25:31.8.
Up next for the Fighting Illini is a trip north to East Lansing, Michigan where they will compete in the Spartan Invite next Friday, September 18 at 12:20pm.
For more information on Illinois men's cross-county, go to fightingillii.com and follow us on Twitter (@IlliniMXC)!
TEAM RESULTS:
- Eastern Kentucky – 44
- Kentucky – 47
- Illinois – 50
- Miami (OH) – 98
- Morehead State – 155
- Northern Kentucky – 166
- Bellarmine – 218
ILLINOIS RESULTS:
5. Sean Pengelly, 24:35.9
6. Zack Smith, 24:37.5
9. Billy Magnesen, 24:48.3
14. Dan Lathrop, 24:56.2
16. Paul Zeman, 24:58.1
17. Garrett Lee, 25:00.7
30. Alex Gold, 25:31.8
