University of Illinois
Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational
Men's Cross Country travels to Wisconsin Friday, Women To Loyola Saturday
September 27, 2018 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
Men's race Friday, 11 a.m. CT; women's race Saturday, 11:15 a.m. CT
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini will travel to separate meets for the first time this season this weekend, as the men head to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on Friday Sept. 28 and the women run at the Loyloa Lakefront Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 29. The men's race located at Thomas Zimmer Cross Country Course will begin on Friday at 11 a.m. CT, and the women's race held at Lincoln Park- Montrose Harbor will start at 11:15 a.m. CT on Saturday.
| Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational & Loyola Lakefront Invitational | |
|---|---|
| When | Nuttycombe: Friday, September 28, 11 a.m. CT; Loyola Lakefront: Saturday, September 29, 11:15 a.m. CT |
| Where | Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course // Madison, Wis. ; Lincoln Park- Montrose Harbor // Chicago, Ill. |
| Meet Information | Meet Notes | Men's Live Stream | Men's Results | Men's Course Map | Women's Results | 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, Logan Hall, Caleb Hummer, Jack LaLonde, Dan Lathrop, Billy Magnesen Wyatt McIntyre, 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
Follow the Meet
Nuttycombe: The meet can be watched via live stream at https://www.flotrack.org/events/6180678-2018-nuttycombe-wisconsin-xc-invitational Results can be found at https://uwbadgers.com/sports/2018/1/17/2018-nuttycombe-wisconsin-invitational.aspx
Loyola: Results can be found after the meet at http://onlineraceresults.com/event/view_event.php?event_id=21469
Know The Courses
Nuttycombe: Located adjacent to University Ridge Golf Course, UW's cross country course features an exterior loop of approximately 2,500 meters and an interior loop of 1,000 meters. Both loops cover the area's rolling hills and valleys, while the outside loop also runs through a section of dense woods.
Loyola: Start & Finish is located at the Montrose Avenue Beach House. The course weaves around the Montrose Harbor area. There is a 2K loop and a 3K loop, each including Cricket Hill, Chicago's Highest Point.
A Look At The Competition
At Nuttycombe, the Illini men will face tough competition, as 18 of the 34 competing teams are ranked in the USTFCCCA National Top-30. Seven of those opponents are currently ranked in the top-10. At the Loyola Lakefront Invite, the Illinois women participate in a field of 31 teams which includes an array of Chicago Universities. Big Ten opponent Ohio State, which received votes in this weeks USTFCCCA national rankings, also joins the field.
Coach Haveman On the Men's Race
"We have been very impressed with the men's execution the last few weeks. We are looking forward to seeing where things shake out and are excited for the opportunity for our men to race together again."
Coach Haveman On the Women's Race
"Our women are ready for this next opportunity. They are continuing to grow as a team and as individuals."
Illini Notes
Last Time Out
The men's and women's team return to action after running in the Commodore Classic hosted by Vanderbilt on Sept. 15. At the meet, the women's team earned a 2nd place finish, and the men raced to sixth place. Freshman Madison Marasco was strong in her collegiate debut, placing 10th by clocking a time of 17:46.8. On the men's side, redshirt senior Billy Magnesen led the way for the Illini, finishing 19th with a time of 25:36.7.
Back to Back
The Illini women have started the season with back-to-back second place finishes, each coming at the EIU Walt Crawford Open and most recently at the Commodore Classic. Along with Marasco's stellar debut at the Commodore Classic, the Illini sophomores also turned in productive performances. In her season debut, sophomore Rebecca Craddock finished 15th overall with a time of 17:51.8. Also making her season debut, sophomore Nicki Cast finished third on the team and 33rd overall, completing the race in 18:25.5. After, finishing fourth overall and first on the team at EIU, sophomore Allison McGrath turned in another strong performance, placing right behind Cast at 34th with a time of 18:27.2.
Men's Freshman Taking Form
The Illinois men's cross country has already seen contributions from its freshman class. Logan Hall has had a strong start to his collegiate career. The freshman from Arthur, Ill. finished fourth overall and first on the team to start the season at EIU, clocking a time of 25:48.9. He was amongst the team's top finishers again at the Commodore Classic, placing 28th overall and second on the team posting a time of 25:58.1. Freshman Colin Yandel also landed in the Illini's top-5 finishers for the first time at the Commodore Classic, placing 60th overall and fifth on the team with a time of 26:46.5
Illini In the Rankings
The Fighting Illini women moved into the Sept. 18 edition of the USTFCCCA Regional Rankings after their second place performance at the Commodore Classic, earning the No. 12 ranking. The women's team still sits at No. 12, while the men's team ranks No. 6 in the Midwest Region.
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 run separately the weekend of October 12. The Illini women will travel to Peoria, Ill. to compete in the Bradley Pink Classic on Friday, October 12 at 1 p.m. CT. The men will return to Madison, Wis. for the second consecutive meet on Saturday, October 13, as they will participate in Pre-Nationals at 11:30 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.
