Performance List (9/14)
Meet Notes
Meet PREVIEW
The Illini will head north to one of the biggest regular season meets in the country, the Roy Griak Invitational on Saturday, September 26. The women's race will commence at 1:10pm. The Illini placed 18th at last year's Roy Griak Invite.
Coach Jones on the Meet
"I want to see, and I expect to see maturity on our part. That we just handle the overall circumstances better, so that the course won't be a surprise, and the level of competition won't be a surprise. We have some people who didn't compete last year, but the core group competed there last year. The core group this week competed there last year, so people know what it's about and I think we know we just have to be both patient and disciplined on this course to succeed so that's what we're really trying to drive home."
Illini Set to Run
Coach Jones will send seven Illini to Minnesota this weekend in hopes of redeeming themselves after they left last year's meet unsatisfied. Alyssa Schneider, winner of the first two meets of the year, leads the Illini along with senior Britten Petrey. Roy Griak veterans, Hanna Winter, Valerie Bobart, and Kim Seger will look to build off of last season's experience. The lone runner making her Griak debut is Denise Branch who missed last season's race due to injury.
A Look at the Competition
The Fighting Illini will be facing off against a number of Big Ten powers as well as national powers at the Roy Griak Invite. The headliner is the defending NCAA and Big Ten Champions, Michigan State along with fellow Big Ten counterparts Northwestern and host Minnesota. Outside of the Big Ten, the meet will feature nationally ranked Iowa State (#2), Boise State (#20), and California (#30).
Last Time out
Last Friday night, the Illini opened their season victoriously with a win over Missouri and Northern Illinois in the Illini Challenge. The Orange and Blue were led by senior runner, Alyssa Schneider who outpaced the rest of the competition by 4.7 seconds en route to claiming first with a time of 17:43.3. Britten Petrey was not far behind Schneider, placing fourth. Audrey Blazek (8th) and Denise Branch (9th) completed the quartet of Illini to finish in the top-10.
2015 ISU Invite - Illinois Results
1. Alyssa Schneider, 17:03.9
8. Britten Petrey, 18:09.4
17. Audrey Blazek, 18:22.8
32. Valerie Bobart, 18:47.9
39. Hanna Winter, 18:54.7
53. Nicole Choquette, 19:17.6
55. Megan Lemersal, 19:19.3
68. Kim Seger, 19:36.3
93. Ellie Palacios, 20:31.5
2015 ISU Invite - Team Results (out of 9 teams)
1. Loyola -- 60
2. Illinois State -- 78
3. ILLINOIS -- 95
Up Next
The Orange and Blue will have two weeks off to rest up and prepare for Pre-Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday, October 17.
