BOSTON, MA – The Illinois women's cross country team concluded competition at the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown on Friday afternoon. Head coach Jake Stewart's squad was led by freshman Rebecca Craddock who timed 17:53, 29th overall. As a team, the Illini took 13th place at the meet, as Providence won the team competition with 71 points.
With six of the eight Illini racing in their first collegiate season, Friday's meet offered a chance for growth from racing in the first large race of the season.
"The exposure and the world out there beyond the Midwest is the main reason we wanted them to come," said coach Jake Stewart. "I thought we had a very solid day. There are a lot of things we can build off of. We are young, and the girls had a very positive experience and walked away better from it because of the race. I think we can be very satisfied with the progress we're making, and I think the results will begin to show."
Finishing fourth among all freshmen in the race, Craddock led the Illini by maintaining her position in the top-30 throughout the race. Finishing with a pace of 5:45 per mile, Craddock has now led the Illini in each of the team's first two meets of the season. The 17:53 mark is a five-second improvement over her collegiate-opening time (17:58) at Eastern Illinois three weeks ago.
"It was a step up considerably in competition and [Craddock] put herself in the mix of the race," Coach Stewart said of the Brunswick, Ohio native. "We really didn't get specific in what her race plan needed to be. We just wanted to see how she would respond in this sort of environment, and I thought she did a good job. I think she can take a lot of different experiences from this race and will be better for it next time."
Two other freshmen also finished in the top-five on the team, as Allison McGrath and Nicki Cast finished second and fifth on the team. McGrath shaved six seconds off her time at Eastern Illinois, crossing the finish line in 18:29, while Cast finished the 5,000 meters in 18:50.
A pair of seniors, Nicole Choquette and Miranda Marry finished third and fourth, respectively, for the Illini. Choquette used a 6:01 pace to circle the course in 18:42, while Marry timed 18:50.
The Illini continue their season next Saturday, September 30, at the Greater Louisville Classic. The women's seeded race is scheduled to begin at 9:45 a.m. central time with an unseeded race to follow at 12:15 p.m.
For complete coverage of Fighting Illini cross country, visit FightingIllini.com, follow the Illini on Twitter (@IlliniMXC and @IlliniWXC) and Instagram (@IlliniMXC and @IlliniWXC) and like Fighting Illini Men's Cross Country and Fighting Illini Women's Cross Country on Facebook.
Illinois Individual Results (Full Results):
29. Rebecca Craddock, 17:53
63. Allison McGrath, 18:29
82. Nicole Choquette, 18:42
94. Nicki Cast, 18:50
111. Miranda Marry, 19:01
112. Katie Stapleton, 19:02
136. Delaney Appino, 19:17
141. Kelli Callahan, 19:19
Team Scores:
1. Providence -- 71
2. Indiana – 78
3. Georgetown – 78
4. Dartmouth – 132
5. Cornell – 143
13. Illinois – 362
