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Junior Shannon Phelan is set to compete at the Illini Open on Friday.
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Oct. 21, 2009
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The No. 13-ranked Illinois women's cross country team returns home to host the Illini Open on Friday, Oct. 23 at the UI Arboretum. The women's 5K race is set to start at 4 p.m., and the men's race will follow at 4:45 p.m. The other squads scheduled to race at the meet are Illinois State, Illinois Wesleyan and Northwestern.
"Being able to compete at home is always fun because we know the course so well," cross country coach Jeremy Rasmussen said. "The Arboretum is a place where we practice quite often, so we are very excited about this meet. For some of the girls it will be their first race of the year, and for some it will be an opportunity to make the Big Ten team. This meet has many purposes, so it is important."
The 14 runners competing for the Illini at this meet are seniors Stephanie Baliga and Theresa Brokaw, juniors Maggie Mulchrone and Shannon Phelan, sophomores Amber Stack and Danelle Woods, and freshmen Madeline Aufmann, Stephanie Brown, Meagan Hynes, Kendra Kennedy, Meghan Murphy, Kelsey Seiler, Mary Sullivan and Courtney Yaeger. The Illinois women's track team will also have 12 members racing in the open.
"The goal for this meet is to carry the momentum we have created throughout the season," Rasmussen said. "We want to continue to run personal-bests and continue to feel good about how we race and how we prepare. Those are the most important things. If we do that, then we can win."
A full recap and results can be found on fightingillini.com following the meet. Next week, the Illini will be competing in University Park, Pa., for the Big Ten Championships on Nov. 1 at 9:45 a.m. CT.
