Sept. 30, 2006
CHICAGO, Ill. -
Facing one of the largest cross country intercollegiate fields of the season, the Illinois State women's cross country team finished in seventh-place out of 19 teams at the 34th Annual Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational Saturday afternoon in Chicago, Ill. The men's team finished in 11th place out of 18 teams in the Gold Division Race at the Montrose Avenue Beach.
The event featured 10 different races and more than 4,000 runners, ranging from elementary to collegiate competitors. In the Gold Division Race, comprised mostly of Division I institutions, the women's team finished with a total of 222 points and the men finished with 258 points.
The women's squad was led by junior Suzy Turner, who finished in 25th place with a time of 18:47. Senior Betsy McDonald ended the race in 42nd, clocking in at 19:03. Freshman Kim Ebbesen was six seconds behind McDonald (19:09), finishing in 46th. Sophomore Kathleen Thompson (60th) finished in 19:23, Stacey Turilli clocked in at 19:42 and in 77th place and junior Maureen Nelligan (20:50) crossed the finish line in 124th.
Competing in their first races of the season, Kim Smudde finished in 107th with a time of 20:21 and freshman Hannah Radostits (21:11) finished in 134th place.
Freshman Jordan Anderson led the men's squad by finishing the 8k race in 34th place with a time of 25:52. Fellow freshman Scott Krapf clocked in at 26:03 and in 40th, while sophomore Mike Richardson was ten seconds behind (26:13) in 47th place. Junior Brian Glaza completed the race in 26:30 and in 57th. Senior Bronco Meeks in 114th (27:42), freshman Rob Barkulis in 116th (27:45) and Ryan Lay in 120th (27:54) rounded out the scoring for the Redbirds.
Grand Valley State won both sides of the Gold Division Race, with the women finishing with team score of 38 points and the men's with 42 points. The women's team was led by Laura Aderman, who finished in 2nd place individually with a time of 17:40. Nate Peck led the men's squad by finishing in 1st place in a time of 24:22.
The Redbirds will have a week off to train and prepare before they compete at the Bradley Classic on October 13th, starting at 4:15 p.m. in Peoria, Ill.
