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Junior Chantelle Groenewoud will compete at the Pre-Nationals Invitational on Saturday.
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Oct. 14, 2009
Pre-Nationals Invitational Information
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The No. 18-ranked women's cross country team splits up this weekend with part of the team heading to Peoria for the Bradley Classic on Friday, Oct. 16, and most of the top runners traveling to Terre Haute, Ind., for the Pre-Nationals Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 17 at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course.
The Pre-Nationals Invitational marks one of the most competitive meets of the season thus far for the Illini, and it provides a preview for the NCAA Championships held at the same site on Nov. 23. The women will compete in the 6K White Race, which will begin at approximately 11:55 a.m. CT. Out of the 37 teams in the field, 10 of the squads are ranked in the top 30, including No. 1 Washington.
"We are very excited for Pre-Nationals," women's cross country coach Jeremy Rasmussen said. "Each week, everybody is continuing to run better and better. Now that we have a big race underneath our belts from the Wisconsin Inter-Regional, we are looking to take that next step forward and do well this weekend and get ready for the Big Tens."
Seniors Stephanie Baliga, Angela Bizzarri, and Elizabeth Boyle, juniors Jamie Brusa, Chantelle Groenewoud, and Ashley Thompson, sophomore Kristin Sutherland, and freshman Meghan Murphy are set to compete at the invitational. Baliga, Bizzarri, Boyle, Brokaw, Groenewoud, and Sutherland led the Illini to a fourth-place finish at the event last year.
The other meet of the weekend for the Illini is on Friday at the Bradley Classic, set for 5 p.m. CT. Competing for the Orange and Blue will be junior Maggie Mulchrone, sophomore Amber Stack, and freshmen Madeline Aufmann, Meagan Hynes, Kelsey Seiler, Mary Sullivan, and Courtney Yaeger.
A full recap and results can be found on fightingillini.com following each meet.
