Full Results

Champaign, Ill. – The Orange and Blue competed in their final regular season meet before Big Ten Championships next Sunday, finishing third overall in the eight-team field. Senior Britten Petrey led the Illini with her first collegiate individual crown, entering the chute in 17:54.21.

"I really got a lot of confidence out of this meet, and I ran this meet for that reason, especially going into Big Ten [Championships] next weekend," said Petrey.

Head Coach Scott Jones saw Petrey's performance tonight as a springboard for her that will propel her into next weekend.

"I'm really happy for Britten, said Coach Scott Jones. "She did a great job today; it's her first college cross-country victory, and it couldn't have come at a better time. We wanted to use this race as preparation for the Big Ten Championships. She raced assertively, and I think it will carry into next weekend's race in Chicago."

Indoor Track and Field 600m champion, Nicole Choquette, ran in her second meet of the season this afternoon, placing 12^th with a mark of 18:58.31.

Cross-country regulars, Megan Lemersal (26) and Kim Seger (31) were the third and fourth Fighting Illini to cross the finish line, clocking in at 19:14.11 and 19:24.23, respectively.

Lindsey Rakosnik made her season debut at the Illni Open, coming in 49^th overall with a finishing time of 20:07.55. Ellie Palacios and Kristina Kladar rounded out the point scoring for Illinois, placing 63^rd and 72^nd overall.

"We didn't have a team game plan today," said Jones. "We wanted each individual to have things more individualized, and we were concerned with putting forth a strong effort, just capitalizing on being in a race environment without dictating things for us. I think it was good to see people out there competing, doing things to make themselves better in the near-term, but more importantly heading into the track season or future cross-country seasons."

Up Next: The Orange and Blue turn their sights to postseason play as Big Ten Championships take place in Chicago on November 1.

Team Scores (out of 8):

1. Bradley – 30
2. Northwestern – 80
3. ILLINOIS – 93

Individual Scores (out of 74):

1. Britten Petrey, 17:54.21

12. Nicole Choquette, 18:58.31

26. Megan Lemersal, 19:14.11

31. Kim Seger, 19:24.23

49. Lindsey Rakosnik, 20:07.55

63. Ellie Palacios, 20:37.22

72. Kristina Kladar, 21:36.18