Full Results
URBANA, Ill. - Fighting Illini women's cross country raced to a first-place finish at the Illini Open on Friday. Junior Grace Rogers led the way for the Illini finishing inside the top-10, placing ninth with a career-best time of 18:47.3.
"The women did very well today," said head coach Sarah Haveman. "We loved what we saw out of them. They were aggressive and worked through the race together. They should all be proud of how they raced."
The Illini women recorded a score of 50 to win the meet, edging out Bradley who finished with a score of 52. Each of Illinois' top-five finishers placed in the overall top-25. Freshman Mikayla Olsen finished second for the Orange and Blue, placing 13th overall and recording a season-best time of 18:56.2. Sophomore Kelli Callahan timed a season-best 19:11.6, good for 19th overall and third on the team. Freshman Lauren Katz followed right behind placing 20th with a time of 19:13.2. Junior Vanessa Flaherty placed fifth on the team and 25th overall with a time of 19:20.1.
In the men's race, freshman Luke Goebel and redshirt sophomore Jack LaLonde competed for the Orange and Blue. Goebel raced to 35th overall, clocking a season-best performance of 26:43.3. LaLonde placed 43rd with a time of 27:01.3.
Senior Jesse Reiser placed first overall in the men's 8K competing unattached, clocking a time of 24:48.6, over 11 seconds faster than second-place finisher Keelan Grant.
"Today served its purpose for the men," Haveman said. "We were able to utilize it in a couple of different ways to serve their individual development. They all did a wonderful job sticking to their plans."
Up next the Illini will begin postseason competition as the team travels to Lincoln, Neb. for Big Ten Championships Sunday, Oct. 28. The womens' 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.
Full Illinois Results:
Women's 5K:
9. Grace Rogers, 18:47.3
13. Mikayla Olsen, 18:56.2
19. Kelli Callahan, 19:11.6
20. Lauren Katz, 19:13.2
25. Vanessa Flaherty, 19:20.1
39. Alana Austin, 19:49.5
57. Brooke Delahanty, 20:41.2
63. Madeline Bruce, 21:19.1
Men's 8K:
35. Luke Goebel, 26:43.3
42. Jack LaLonde, 27:01.3
Team Scores:
Women's Scores
1. Illinois, 50
2. Bradley, 52
3. Iowa, 58
4. Indiana State, 79
5. Marquette, 88
Men's Scores
1. Bradley, 36
2. Indiana, 39
3. Marquette, 49
4. Butler, 109
