Sept. 16, 2011
Photo Gallery 
Men's 8K Championship Results | Women's 5K Championship Results
NORMAL, Ill. -
Freshman Krista DeCeault led the Illinois State women's cross country team to victory at the Illinois Intercollegiate Cross Country Championships Friday at the Weibring Golf Club, taking the individual crown in dominating fashion. She led wire-to-wire in her first collegiate race at the 5K distance, posting a time of 17:09, 15-seconds faster than teammate Elise Sigg, who finished second (17:24).
The Redbirds took first-place in the team competition, scoring just 21 points. Other top-ten finishes for the women's team consisted of Aisha Praught in fourth (17:41), Brea Tinney in fifth (17:57) and Rachael Brewer in ninth (18:01). Kristen Zillmer also finished high-up, crossing the finish line in 11th with a time of 18:07.
Head coach Jeff Bovee was pleased with the performances of both DeCeault and the team.
"DeCeault had an outstanding race," said Bovee. "She likes to get out in front and stay there, and that is exactly what she did. To be a freshman and win your first collegiate race at the 5K distance, that is something special. As for the team, I am proud with its performance. We had five girls in the top-ten and four in the top-five. That says something about how hard the team has been working."
The men's team finished in fourth-place with 93 points. Freshman Ryan Rutherford led the way for the Redbirds, finishing 12th overall with a time of 24:56. John Navarro was the next Illinois State runner in, crossing the line in 29th with a time of 25:13.
Bovee was proud of the way the men's team finished.
"I am never going to be happy with a fourth place finish," said Bovee. "These guys have come a long way, and for a freshman [Rutherford] to lead the way and finish as our top runner, that's saying something. I am proud of the way they finished, and it is a definite improvement from last week's performance. We are going to build on this and continue to improve."
The Redbirds hit the ground running again Saturday, Oct. 1, as they travel to Louisville, Ky., to compete in the Greater Louisville Classic. Start time for the race is slated for 8:30 a.m.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, TRC gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
