CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Fighting Illini cross country head coach Sarah Haveman has announced the schedule for the 2019 men's and women's cross country seasons. The Orange and Blue will start the season at home, hosting the Illini Open at the UI Arboretum on Friday, August 30. The meet will start with the women's 5K, slated for 5 p.m. CT, and the men's 8K will follow and begin at 5:40 p.m. CT.

After hosting the Illini Open, the Illini will travel to Indiana State, Ohio State and Bradley for meets during the regular season. Big Ten Championships will also be hosted by Ohio State. The NCAA Midwest Regional will be held at Oklahoma State. NCAA Championships will take place at Indiana State. 

Women's Season Preview  

Fighting Illini women's cross country returns 17 student-athletes from the 2018 campaign, including all seven athletes that competed at last year's NCAA Midwest Regional. The Illini placed fourth at last year's NCAA Midwest Regional hosted by Bradley. It was the best finish for the women's cross country team at the Midwest Regional since 2009, and a 20 spot jump from their 2017 finish at the regional.

Madison Marasco is set to return for her sophomore campaign after earning Midwest All-Region honors her freshman season. She placed 25th at the Midwest Regional to earn the accolade, timing 21:14.7 in the 6K race. Marasco placed in the top-10 overall and recorded the top Illini finish time at three of the five meets she contested in 2018. At last year's Loyola Lakefront Invitational, Marasco ran the ninth-fastest 5K in program history, clocking a finish time of 17:00.70 to place seventh at the meet. She recorded her season-best 6K finish at the Bradley Pink Classic, recording a finish time of 20:54.4 to place ninth. Marasco's impressive first season garnered a nomination for Illinois Female Freshman of the Year. 

Marasco last competed this past winter during the indoor track season. She ran on the Distance Medley Relay that won the bronze medal at Big Ten Championships. The Illini DMR clocked a finish time of 11:21.85, the fourth-fastest in Illinois program history. The performance and her academic excellence during the school year earned her USTFCCCA All-Academic honors. Individually, Marasco contested the 800m and the Mile during the 2019 Indoor season. She won two event titles in the 800m, with her season-best finish coming in a first place performance at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational, where she timed 2:12.12.  

Allison McGrath is ready to begin her third season with the Illini. McGrath led the Illini at last year's Midwest Regional, placing 18th overall with a 6K PR finish time of 21:01.0. She crossed second for the Illini at Big Ten Championships, timing 21:22.4 to place 44th overall. She finished in the top-two for the Illini at five of the six meets she contested. She also recorded a new 5K PR last season, clocking a finish time of 17:30.29 to place 18th at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational. An Academic All-Big Ten honoree, she was strong from the start of the season, debuting at the EIU Walt Crawford Open with a fourth place finish. 

During the Indoor season, McGrath competed in the 5K at Big Ten Championships, timing 17:31.47. She set her Indoor PR in the 5K at Big Ten Championships, timing 17:24.97. During the outdoor season, McGrath ran her way into the Illini record books in the 10K. At Big Ten Championships, she clocked a 10K finish time of 35:16.16, the fifth-fastest 10K in program history. Earlier in the season, she also set a new 5K PR on the track, a time of 17:12.83 that placed her fifth at the Illini Twilight. 

Rebecca Craddock, a top-performer for the Illini in each of her first two seasons, is set to begin her junior campaign. She led the Illini at last year's Big Ten Championships, placing 43rd with a season-best 6K finish time of 21:18.9. She crossed third for the Orange and Blue at the NCAA Midwest Regional, recording a time of 21:26.9. She finished in the top-three for Illinois at each of the five meets she contested. She set a new 5K PR at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational, timing 17:30.35 to place 19th.

Craddock also ran on the bronze medal Distance Medley Relay at Big Ten Championships. That performance coupled with her success in the classroom also earned her USTFCCCA All-Academic honors for the second time in her career. She moved her way up the Illini record books in the 3K during the Indoor season. Craddock placed second in the 3K at the Iowa State Classic, clocking a finish time of 9:30.97 which is the sixth-fastest in Illini program history.  

Sophomore Emma Milburn returns looking to add on to a solid freshman season with the Illini. Last year, she competed at six meets for the Orange and Blue, placing in the Illinois top-five at each meet. She crossed fifth for the Illini in the 6K races at both the NCAA Midwest Regional and at Big Ten Championships. During the indoor track season, Milburn competed in the 800m. She recorded a finish-time of 2:12.53 at Big Ten Championships. Her season-best 800m finish was a time of 2:12.47 recorded at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invite. During the outdoor season she primarily competed in the 1500m, recording her season-best time at Big Ten Championships with a 4:29.70 finish.

Redshirt sophomore Caroline Fix came on strong in the postseason last year for the Illini. She crossed fourth for Illinois at both Big Ten Championships and at the NCAA Midwest Regional. At the regional, she placed 47th overall with a 6K PR finish time of 21:33.0. During the indoor track season, she set new indoor personal-bests in the 3K (10:04.69) and 5K (17:05.3). In the outdoor season, she set a 5K Pr with a finish time of 17:04.39 to place second at the Illini Twilight. 

Redshirt sophomore Mikaela Lucki is returning to the cross country squad after a solid track season. During the indoor season, Lucki also ran on the bronze medal DMR for the Illini at Big Ten Championships. The USTFCCCA All-Academic honoree competed in the Mile, 800m and 3K throughout the indoor season. During the outdoor season, Lucki was stellar in the 1500m. She set a PR in the event at the Stanford Invite, timing 4:26.56 to place second. She also recorded an 800m PR of 2:10.11 to place second at the SIU Bill Cornell Spring Classic. 

Nicki Cast will be another Illini returning to start her junior season. Cast finished in the Illini top-five at four of the five meets she contested during the 2018 cross country season, including crossing third for the team at Big Ten Championships. She set a new 6K PR at the Bradley Pink Classic (21:46.4), and a 5K personal-best at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational (17:57.68). She contested the 3000m Steeplechase for the Illini during the outdoor track season. She ran the eighth-fastest Steeplechase time in program history at the War Eagle invite, clocking a finish time of 10:34.55 to place third at the meet.

The Illini women will welcome six newcomers to the team this fall. Emma Wilson joins the Illini from Greencastle, Ind. Wilson was a national All-American and a five-time Indiana State Champion in cross country and track & field while competing for her high school. Wilson was the 2018 Gatorade Cross Country Athlete of the Year for the state of Indiana. She holds a 5K cross country PR of 17:29.94. Competing unattached this track season, she clocked an outdoor 5K PR of 16:37. 

Olivia Howell will join the Illini as a three-time Ohio State Champion in the 1600m. She also took home the state title in the 800m along with the 1600m state championship at the 2019 Ohio Outdoor State Final. Howell was named the 2019 Gatorade Track & Field Athlete of the Year for the state of Ohio Her personal-best time in the 1600m is 4:43.25, and her 800m PR is 2:08.60. In the cross country 5K her PR is 17:32.50.  

Full 2019 Women's Cross Country Roster

Men's Season Preview  

Illinois men's cross country will return eight student-athletes from last year's roster, including three who were among the top five to finish for the team at both Big Ten Championships and NCAA Midwest Regionals. In addition, All-American redshirt junior Jon Davis and All-American redshirt senior Jesse Reiser both return this season after redshirting the 2018 cross country campaign. 

Jon Davis returns for his third cross country campaign after redshirting last season. Davis last competed for Illinois cross country in 2017, a historic season for the Oakwood, Ill. native. In 2017, he won the NCAA Midwest Regional with a 10K PR of 29:06.2, the second-fastest 10K in program history. He became the first Illini to win the regional title since Trent Hoerr did so back in 2007. His performance earned him the USTFCCCA Midwest Region Athlete of the Year award. He also achieved All-Big Ten honors in 2017, placing ninth at the Big Ten Championships. 

Davis picked up the third All-America honor of his career during the 2019 indoor season, running on the men's Distance Medley Relay that achieved Second-Team All-America honors. The DMR qualified for NCAA Championships after their third-place performance at the Alex Wilson Invitational hosted by Notre Dame. The group clocked the fastest DMR finish in program history, a time of 9:29.19 that ranked ninth in the country heading into NCAA Indoor Championships. 

In addition, Davis ran the second sub-four minute mile of his career at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational. Davis clocked a new PR mile time of 3:58.06 on his way to the event title at the meet. Davis won three event titles during the indoor season, the Mile title and two 800m titles at the Illini Open and Illini Invitational. 

Redshirt senior Jesse Reiser will also return for his first cross country campaign since 2017. In that 2017 season, Reiser picked up All-Region honors for the third time in his career. He clocked a finish time of 29:20.9 in the regional 10K, which ranks as the third-fastest in program history. Reiser was also an All-Big Ten athlete in 2017, placing 13th at the Big Ten Championships. 

Reiser is coming off stellar 2019 indoor and outdoor track campaigns. He earned the first All-America accolade of his career running on the DMR along with Davis during the indoor season. Reiser also captured a bronze medal competing in the Mile at Big Ten Championships, recording a finish time of 4:03.91. He ran the eighth-fastest Mile time in program history at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invite, clocking a finish time of 4:01.98 to place fourth at the meet. 

During the outdoor season, Reiser qualified for NCAA West Prelims in the 1500m, the third time in his career that he had qualified for the NCAA preliminary round. He earned a spot on the podium in the 1500m at Big Ten Championships, finishing eighth with a time of 3:46.02. He won event titles in the 1500m at the Ole Miss Classic and at the Illini Twilight. He recorded his season-best time in the 1500m at the Illini Twilight, timing 3:44.33. 

Sophomore Logan Hall will return after an impressive first season with the Illini. Hall competed at six meets for the Orange and Blue last season, finishing in the Illini top-three at five of the six meets. He crossed second for the Illini at both the NCAA Midwest Regional and at Big Ten Championships. He finished 54th overall in his first collegiate 10K, timing 32:10.7. He set his 8K PR at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, recording a finish time of 24:56.9. Hall debuted with a fourth-place finish at the Walt Crawford Open. 

Sophomore Colin Yandel finished last season strong for the Illini, finishing in the top five for the team at both the NCAA Midwest Regional and at Big Ten Championships. He crossed third for the team at the regional, placing 66th overall and recording a time of 32:23.4 in his first collegiate 10K. He finished fourth for the Illini at Big Ten Championships, clocking his season-best 8K finish with a time of 25:11.0.

Redshirt senior Zach Dale will return as one of the squad's veterans. He was the first Illini to cross at last year's Big Ten Championships, recording a finish time of 25:02.5.

The men's team will feature seven newcomers this season. Jack Roberts joins the Illini out of Downers Grove North High School. Roberts helped lead Downers Grove North to the IHSA Class 3A Cross Country State Title in 2017. His 3-Mile cross country PR is 14:26.50.

Full 2019 Men's Cross Country Roster

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