CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Fighting Illini men's and women's cross country open the season this Friday when they compete at the Eastern Illinois University Walt Crawford Open. The women's race will begin at 4:45 p.m. CT, and the men's meet will follow at 5:30 p.m. CT. The race will be held on the Panther Trail Cross Country Course in Charleston, Ill.
Running for the Illini
Men: Zach Dale, Luke Goebel, Logan Hall, Brayden Hamblen, Caleb Hummer, Jack LaLonde, Wyatt McIntyre, Colin Yandel
Women: Alana Austin, Kelli Callahan, Caroline Fix, Lauren Katz, Allison McGrath, Emma Milburn, Mikayla Olsen, Grace Rogers, Katie Stapleton
Know the Course
The Panther Trail is a flat, rolling course that features both grass and a crushed limestone path and generally runs moderately fast. Eastern Kentucky's Charlotte Imer holds the 5,000m course record, finishing in 16:52, while UT-Martin's Edwin Kurgat holds the 8,000m mark with a time of 23:59. Illini legend Craig Virgin owns the facility record for the 8k with a 23:31 performance.
Coach Haveman on the Meet
"We have a great opportunity to start our season on Friday on a high note. Eastern Illinois always does a tremendous job setting up meets that cater to the student athletes' experience."
"I am looking forward to individuals blossoming and stepping into new roles this season. The key for us will be to continue to develop throughout the season as individuals and as a team."
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.
Illinois Men Ranked in Midwest Region
The Fighting Illini were tabbed with the No. 3 ranking in the Midwest Region in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association preseason poll, which was released on Monday. The Illini also received votes in the national poll.
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. Junior Jon Davis returns after another solid season for the Illini in 2017. Davis qualified individually for NCAA Championships, placing 49th at the competition. He was named USTFCCCA Midwest Region Athlete of the Year and was the Midwest Regional Champion with a 10K personal-best finish of 29:06.20. Jesse Reiser returns for his fourth season with the Orange and Blue. The senior from McHenry, Ill. earned All-Region honors at Midwest Regional after posting a time of 29:20.90 that ranks third in Illinois History. Along with Reiser, the Illini return four more experienced seniors which include Dan Lathrop, Billy Magnesen, Denis O'Callaghan and Zack Smith. 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
The Fighting Illini will run next at the Commodore Classic, hosted by Vanderbilt at Percy Warner Park in Nashville, Tenn. on Saturday, Sept., 15. The men's race will begin at 9:00 a.m. CT, and the women will start at 10:00 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.
