Justin Aronson proved Friday that the key to a successful cross country season are the hours and mileage put forth during the summer. At the Illini Open, Aronson, a junior, led all Illinois runners and finished seventh overall with a time of 18:32 for the race as the team opened its 2006 season.

Although the meet wasn’t scored, it signaled the beginning of many expectations for the Illinois team.

“I was really impressed with Justin Aronson. What you’re seeing is the result of consistent hard work,” head coach Wendel McRaven said. “He’s a guy who continues to prove that if you put in the mileage, the effort, are diligent, and if you can take care of the small things, you are going to see results. The great thing about our sport is that you can see a guy like that who has stepped up to the next level.”

Aronson said: “I felt great in practice (this week). I wasn’t necessarily running up with that group of guys that I finished with. My main goal was just to get through a 4K real well. I felt real good through 5K, but it started to hurt a little bit at 5K, but I had a couple of the freshmen there pushing me.”

Junior Maciej Sniegorski finished second for the Illini and ninth overall with a time of 18:43, while senior Jon Houseworth, in his first cross country race in a year and a half, finished with a time of 18:44 in 10th place.

“Obviously I wasn’t real pleased with my individual effort, but it was a good start for not having raced in a while,” Houseworth said. “You can learn things in practice, but you need a race to get those little kinks out. We have a lot of work to do, but we have a lot of potential on this team to do some good things.”

Although McRaven understood Houseworth’s frustration, he said the former redshirt has to be patient and deal with the mentality of racing.

“He has to take care of the eight inches between his chin and the top of his head, and if he does that, he’s going to be OK,” McRaven said.

Also competing for the Illini were junior Matt Flaherty (12th place), freshman Rob Pykosz (16th) and juniors Tim Kelly (18th) and Mike Kelley (19th).

Although Aronson was the first Illini runner in uniform to cross the finish line, Illini freshman standout Jeremy Stevens was the first to finish the race with a time of 18:11. Jon Popejoy and Jacob Nachel, both members of the Illini’s freshman class, finished in fifth and sixth place, with times of 18:26 and 18:31, respectively. The three are Illini freshmen, but ran unattached in the race for eligibility purposes, should they choose to sit out this season.

“It was a good way to kick off the season; I was impressed with our freshmen,” McRaven said. “I think they ran with maturity and poise out there. They followed our race plan very well; we wanted to keep a group together of the guys running for Illinois and then those who were unattached.”

“They went out a little quick, which I think was just a little bit the excitement of the first race of the season, but that’s OK because that’s going to pay off for us later in the year. I think some of the guys might have faded a little in the end, because they did go out a little quick, but that’s what we need to do later in the year.”

The Illini will be back in action Sept. 15 when they host the Illini Challenge, their final home meet of the season, held at the Arboretum at 5:45 p.m. With the progress that is being made, Houseworth said it’s exciting to see the upper-class leadership and the young talent on the team blend together.

“This program is going to jump leaps and bounds these next two years with the type of talented freshmen that we have,” Houseworth said. “I think with the type of leadership we can provide for them, they’ll be ready to be that type of leader next year.”