CHAMPAIGN, ILL. – Coming off their best finish at Big Ten Championships since 1989, the Fighting Illini made their season debut in the USTFCCCA rankings, slotted at No. 19 in the country. The ranking is the first since September 24, 2013 and  is the best mark since Dave Halle and Joe Leuchtmann led the Illini to a seventh-place mark at the end of the 1986 campaign.

Spear-heading Sunday's historic performance was Dylan Lafond, who earned First Team All-Conference honors with his third-place finish, a school record-breaking time of 23:22.4. Adding on to Lafond's performance were Jesse Reiser (11^th) and Ian Barnett (18^th) as they too climbed into the school's 8K top-10 list. Dan Lathrop (20^th), Liam Markham (29^th), Billy Magnesen (30^th), and Zack Smith (45^th) rounded out the scorers for the Fighting Illini in Chicago.

The newly ranked Illini will look to continue their ascent in Lawrence, Kansas when they take on the best that the Midwest has to offer at NCAA Regionals on November 13. The squad is seeking to become the school's first cross-country team to qualify for the NCAA Championships since 1986.

All-Time Ranking History 

*Weekly rankings were not kept until 1995