Full Results
STILLWATER, Okla. - Fighting Illini women's cross country won the 2019 NCAA Midwest Regional Championship Friday at Oklahoma State. It's the second regional title for the Illini in program history, with the first coming in 2006. Through the regional title, Illinois automatically qualifies for next week's NCAA Championships at Indiana State, scheduled for Saturday, November 23. It is the seventh time the Illini women have qualified for nationals, and the first time since 2009.
"Our women were great," said head coach Sarah Haveman. "This was a new position to be in to have to enter a meet as the favorites. We have thrived on being an 'underdog' and have been able to gain excitement and momentum by beating people that maybe we shouldn't. But today we had to prove that we are more than that, and that we could come into a meet ranked first and hold our ground. They commanded the field, leading at every split and at the finish. Most importantly, they ran for each other every step of the way."
Ranked No. 22 nationally by USTFCCCA and No. 1 in the Midwest Region, Illinois finished the day with a team score of 108. The Illini were led by four performances that garnered Midwest All-Region honors, as juniors Allison McGrath and Rebecca Craddock and sophomores Madison Marasco and Emma Milburn each placed in the top-25 overall to achieve the accolade.
McGrath crossed first for the Illini at the Midwest Regional, her second straight year leading the Orange and Blue at the regional meet. She placed 12th overall and timed 20:58.5 to pick up All-Region honors for the second straight season.
Craddock continued her strong junior campaign at the Midwest Regional, coming in two spots behind McGrath at 14th overall and recording a finish time of 21:04.4. This is Craddock's first-career All-Region accolade.
Marasco notched a top-20 overall finish for the Illini on Friday, placing 18th overall with a finish time of 21:12.8. The Illini sophomore makes it consecutive seasons earning All-Region honors with today's performance.
Milburn collected her first-career All-Region honor at the 2019 NCAA Midwest Regional. The Lake Forest, Ill. native placed 25th, clocking a 6K finish time of 21:20.0.
Rounding out the Illini scorers was Illinois freshman Emma Wilson. In her first collegiate regional meet, Wilson cracked the top-40 overall, placing 39th with a finish time of 21:42.7.
In just her second season at the helm of Illinois cross country, Sarah Haveman becomes the fastest coach in program history to lead the team to an NCAA Midwest Regional title. She surpasses Karen Harvey, who led the Illini to the 2006 regional title in her fifth season as head coach. The Illini have gone from 24th place (2017) to fourth place (2018) to first place (2019) over the last three seasons at the Midwest Regional.
"They spent the last two years opening doors, and now they can walk through them," Haveman said. "We are excited to have them toe the line against the nation's best."
The NCAA Final will be held at Indiana State on Saturday, Nov. 23. The women's 6K will begin at 10:15 a.m. CT.
Team Scores
1. No. 22 Illinois- 108
2. Tulsa- 123
3. No. 26 Minnesota- 130
4. No. 25 Oklahoma State- 159
5. Missouri- 172
6. Iowa State- 192
7. Loyola-Chicago- 237
8. Wichita State- 240
9. Northern Illinois- 277
10. Iowa- 283
11. North Dakota State- 317
12. Bradley- 335
13. Northwestern- 348
14. South Dakota-355
15. Nebraska- 373
-out of 33
Full Illinois Results
12. Allison McGrath- 20:58.5 (All-Region)
14. Rebecca Craddock- 21:04.4 (All-Region)
18. Madison Marasco- 21:12.8 (All-Region)
25. Emma Milburn- 21:20.0 (All-Region)
39. Emma Wilson- 21:42.7
46. Nicki Cast- 21:50.7
75. Caroline Fix- 22:14.9
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