University of Illinois
Commodore Classic
Illini Cross Country Heads to Commodore Classic Saturday
September 14, 2018 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
Men's race at 9 a.m.; women's race at 10 a.m.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini are gearing up to travel to Vanderbilt to run in the Commodore Classic in Nashville, Tenn. on Saturday, September 15. The meet, which features 21 schools, will be held at Percy Warner Park's Vaughn's Gap Cross Country Course. The men's 8K will begin at 9:00 a.m. CT, and the women's 5K will follow at 10:00 a.m. CT.
| Commodore Classic | |
|---|---|
| When | Saturday, September 15 |
| Where | Vaughn's Gap Cross Country Course // Nashville, Tenn. |
| Meet Information | Meet Notes | Results | Men's Course Map | Women's Course Map |
| Men's Information | Performance Lists | Media Guide | Quick Facts |
| Women's Information | Performance Lists | Media Guide | Quick Facts |
| Social Media | @IlliniTrackXC  | #Illini | illinitrackxc  | Facebook  | YouTube  |
Meet Information
Running for the Illini
Men: Zach Dale, Luke Goebel, Logan Hall, Brayden Hamblen, Caleb Hummer, Jack LaLonde, Dan Lathrop, Billy Magnesen Wyatt McIntyre, Denis O'Callaghan, Colin Yandel
Women: Kelli Callahan, Nicki Cast, Rebecca Craddock, Vanessa Flaherty, Caroline Fix, Shanice Garbutt, Lauren Katz, Mikaela Lucki, Madison Marasco, Allison McGrath, Emma Milburn, Mikayla Olsen, Grace Rogers, Katie Stapleton,
Know The Course
Vaughn's Gap, in Nashville's Percy Warner Park, is the team's home site for the Commodore Classic and Belmont-VU Opener every fall. The well-maintained, running-only route measures 5K for women and 8K for men. The course hosted the 1999 SEC Championships and will host the league championships again in 2012. The course is one of the most scenic and challenging in the Southeast and features beautiful woodlands and more than 10 miles of picturesque running trails located just 15 minutes from campus.
A Look At The Competition
There are 21 schools entered in the Commodore Classic.The Illini will be facing one ranked oppenent this weekend, as the Illinois men will be competing against No. 19 Middle Tennessee State.
Coach Haveman On the Men's Race
"We are excited for this weekend. It's a great opportunity for us. The men have been working hard on their approach to race day through our daily practices and talks and I think this will show."
Coach Haveman On the Women's Race
"We are excited for this weekend's competition. The returners are excited about the additional depth in our roster and it will be fun to see how our line up shakes out on race day."
Illini Notes
Last Time Out
The men's and women's teams will be running for the first time since August 31, when they finished first of six and second of five respectively at the EIU Walt Crawford Open. The Orange and Blue were led by freshman Logan Hall and sophomore Allison McGrath, who each placed fourth in the men's and women's meets. In the men's race, Redshirt-freshman Brayden Hamblen and Redshirt juniors Zach Dale and Caleb Hummer finished in the top-10. Redshirt freshman Caroline Fix and freshman Emma Milburn posted top-10 times in the women's meet.
Illini Debuts
Several Illini will make their collegiate or season debuts for the Orange and Blue this weekend. Freshmen Shanice Garbutt and Madison Marasco make their collegiate debuts, while junior Vanessa Flaherety and sophomores Nicki Cast, Rebecca Craddock and Mikaela Lucki are set to compete in their first meet of the season. On the men's side, Redshirt seniors Dan Lathrop, Billy Magnesen and Denis O'Callaghan will compete in their first meet of the season.
Illinois Men in the Rankings
The Fighting Illini hold the No. 3 ranking in the Midwest Region in the USTFCCCA poll for the second consecutive week. Illinois also received votes in the national poll.
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. 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 men's and women's programs will compete at separate meets for the first time during the 2018 season the weekend of September 28. The Illinois men will run at the Ed Nuttycombe Invitational hosted by the University of Wisconsin on Friday, September 28 at 11:00 a.m. in Madison, Wis. The Illini women wil run at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational in Chicago, Ill. on Saturday, September 29 at 11:15 a.m.
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.
