CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Fighting Illini cross country hosts the Illini Open this Friday at the UI Arboretum for its lone home meet of the season. The women's 5K will begin at 4 p.m. and the men's 8K will follow at 4:40 p.m. Admission is free to the public. Visitor parking is allowed in any of the parking lots surrounding the Arboretum including Vet Med, the Japan House, and along Lincoln Ave. Parking meters are enforced as marked in any of the parking lots or along Lincoln Avenue.
Meet Information
Follow the Meet
Fans can follow @IlliniTrackXC for updates during the meet. Results for the 2018 Illini Open will be posted following the conclusion of both races on fightingillini.com
Running for the illini
Men: Luke Goebel
Women: Alana Austin, Madeline Bruce, Kelli Callahan, Brooke Delahanty, Vanessa Flaherty, Lauren Katz, Mikayla Olsen, Grace Rogers
Coach Haveman On the Illini Open
"This meet will serve a few of our team's needs. We may end up using results of this meet to determine our final line up for Big Tens. It will also give the opportunity for some of our red shirted athletes to compete."
"We are excited to host a meet at home and utilize our beautiful course. I am thankful for the hard work of many people throughout the department to ensure all student athletes have a positive experience while competing at the University of Illinois."
About The UI Arboretum
The Arboretum course plays host annually to the Illini Challenge and Illini Open. The women's 5,000 meter race consists of two loops around the course, while the men's 8,000 meter race is made up of three loops. The spectator-friendly set-up allows fans to follow the runners throughout the race. The facility served as the site for the 2011 Big Ten Cross Country Championship. The area comprises 160 acres and features the Hartley Selections Garden, a Welcome Garden, and the Idea Garden, a set of six plots tended by the Master Gardeners of the Champaign County Extension Unit.
A Look At The Competition
12 schools are set to compete at the 2018 Illini Open, 11 running in the women's 5K and 10 in the men's 8K. Purdue and Northern Illinois will run only in the women's race and Loyola-Chicago will only compete in the men's race. The rest of the competition includes Bradley, Butler, Eastern Illinois, Illinois State, Indiana, Indiana State, Iowa, and Marquette. The Indiana men's squad ranks highest in the field, polling at No. 22 nationally in the USTFCCCA rankings. A number of opponents are ranked in the USTFCCCA regional rankings. No. 4 Bradley, No. 6 Iowa, No. 9 Illinois State and No. 14 Eastern Illinois are the regionally ranked opponents in the men's race, while No. 8 Iowa, No. 10 Bradley, No. 13 Northern Illinois and No. 14 Loyola-Chicago make up the Midwest Regional ranked opponents in the women's field.
Illini Notes
Last Time Out
The men's and women's teams are each coming off third place finishes at the Bradley Pink Classic on Friday Oct. 12. The women competed in their first 6K race of the season at Bradley. Freshman Maddie Marasco led the way for the Illini recording her third consecutive top-10 finish, placing ninth and clocking a time of 20:54.4. In the men's 8K, redshirt senior Dan Lathrop also placed ninth, finishing the race in 24:44.5. Both the men's and women's top-five finishers finished inside the top-50.
Women Debuts
Freshman Brooke Delahanty will make her collegaite debut at the Illini Open on Friday. The Sugar Grove, Ill. native was a five-time IHSA Class 2A All-State selection in high school. Also making her season debut is redshirt freshman Madeline Bruce. Last year at the Illini Open, Bruce clocked a time of 21:34.3 in the 5K.
Goebel Goes For The Men
Freshman Luke Goebel represents the men's team at the Illini Open. This will be Goebel's third race of the season. The Damiansville, Ill. native recorded a top-20 finish at the EIU Walt Crawford Open, placing 19th and completing the race in 27:50.6 to help contribute to the Illini's first-place team finish in Charleston.
Illini In the Rankings
The Illinois women's team continues its climb up the USTFCCCA Midwest Regional rankings as the team moved to No. 6 following its third place finish at the Bradley Pink Classic last weekend. The Illini men's team ranks No. 7 in the Oct. 15 edition of the regional rankings.
Illini begin first season under Haveman
Sarah Haveman takes over for Jake Stewart as the head coach for both the men's and women's teams. Haveman begins her second season overall with the Orange and Blue after serving as an assistant coach last season. In 2017 she guided graduate student Nicole Choquette to two Big Ten medals and an NCAA quarterfinal appearance. Haveman came to Illinois in 2017 after five years at Dayton, where she was promoted to Director of Track & Field and Cross Country in the spring of 2016. Nolan Fife has been promoted from volunteer assistant coach to assistant coach for the cross country teams.
Sophomore Strong
The Illini women's sophomore class features some of the team's top finishers from last season. Rebecca Craddock looks to build off a stellar freshman campaign in which she finished first for the Orange and Blue in every meet of the 2017 season. Craddock placed 40th at Midwest Regionals and 45th at Big Ten Championships. She set a new 5K career-best in each of her first three meets. Also returning from the sophomore class are Nicki Cast and Allison McGrath, who finished second and third on the team respectively at Big Ten Championships.
Men Return Familiar Faces
The Fighting Illini men's squad returns seven Letterwinners while only losing two from the 2017 season. Redshirt seniors Billy Magnesen and Zack Smith return for the Illini. Both seniors had historic performances at Midwest Regionals last season, turning in top-10 times in Illinois history in the 10K. Smith and Magnesen each finished the race with a time of 29:48.4, which tied them for the sixth best 10K time in school history. Redshirt seniors Dan Lathrop and Denis O'Callaghan also return to the Illini to add-on to the veteran makeup of the team. The Fighting Illini will look to return to NCAA Championships for the second time in three seasons after they qualified in 2016 for the first time since 1986.
Underclassmen Charge
Aside from returning junior leaders Vanessa Flaherty and Grace Rogers, the rest of the Illini women's roster is comprised of 17 underclassmen. Seven of those 17 are newcomers to the program, which includes Shaheeda Dade, Brooke Delahanty, Shanice Garbutt, Lauren Katz. Madison Marasco, Emma Milburn and Mikayla Olsen.
Up Next
Postseason competition begins as the Illini head to Big Ten Championships in Lincoln, Neb. on Sunday October 28. The Championships will take place at Mahoney Golf Course. The women's 6K race will begin at 10:45 a.m. CT, and the men's 8K will follow at 11:45 a.m. CT.
For complete coverage of Fighting Illini Cross Country, visit FightingIllini.com, follow the Illini on Twitter (@IlliniTrackXC) and Instagram (illinitrackxc) and like Fighting Illini Track and Field & Cross Country on Facebook.
