Full Results
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Fighting Illini men's cross country placed 23rd at NCAA Championships, held at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course on Saturday (11/19) afternoon. Dylan Lafond led the Illini in the 10,000m run, finishing 56th overall with a time of 30:34.6. Today's meet snapped a 30-year NCAA Cross Country Championships drought for the program, dating back to 1986.
Of the seven runners who raced for Head Coach Jake Stewart today, five were underclassmen including two freshmen.
"The biggest thing we take out of this [meet] is the experience that we can use for the future," Head Coach Jake Stewart said. "I think we had some guys manage themselves really well through the middle of the race and make their way positively through 5,000 meters to the finish. It was a tough day and our guys, for the most part, kept their senses about them pretty well. A lot of experience for a lot of young guys that we can use moving forward."
Returning for his second NCAA Championships since transferring to Illinois for his junior season, Lafond timed 30:34.6 to lead the Orange and Blue. Starting out towards the back of the pack in the opening 2,000 meters. Pacing himself, the Illini redshirt senior steadily moved up, reaching into the top-100 for the final fifth of the race. Lafond passed 43 runners in the final 2,000 meters to take 56th overall.
Following Lafond in second place for Coach Stewart's squad was freshman Jon Davis, placing 80th overall and fifth among freshmen competitors. Like Lafond, Davis had a strong kick at the end of the race, surpassing 31 runners in the final 2,000m to finish in 30:45.7.
Coming across the finish line third for the Orange and Blue was sophomore Jesse Reiser. The McHenry, Illinois native used a 5:01 per-mile pace to finish in 31:09.4, 135th overall.
Redshirt freshman Zach Dale and redshirt sophomore Zack Smith concluded the scoring for the Illini, coming in within five seconds of each other. Dale led the way with a time of 31:46.4 to place 206th, while Smith clocked in eight spots later (214th) in 31:51.9.
Senior Sean Pengelly and redshirt sophomore Dan Lathrop followed eight seconds later, as Pengelly (223rd) finished in 31:58.8 and Lathrop (225th) in 32:00.5.
"We finished 23rd in the country, which is a really big deal," said Stewart. "There are 300-plus teams in the NCAA that participate in this sport, so to finish in the top-25 is pretty cool. I think everyone did what we had to do to have a solid day. There's a learning curve involved [in this race], and I think we got a lot of it out today."
Up next, the Illini distance group will turn their attention towards the indoor track and field season, which begins on January 7 at the Border Battle in Iowa City, Iowa.
Illinois Individual Results:
56. Dylan Lafond, 30:34.6
80. Jon Davis, 30:45.7
135. Jesse Reiser, 31:09.4
206. Zach Dale, 31:46.4
214. Zack Smith, 31:51.9
223. Sean Pengelly, 31:58.8
225. Dan Lathrop, 32:00.5
Team Scores:
1.Northern Arizona – 125
2.Stanford – 158
3.Syracuse – 164
4.Mississippi – 196
5.Arkansas – 206
8.Wisconsin – 256
20.Michigan State – 504
23.Illinois - 564
