Two Illinois cross country seasons got under way at the UI Arboretum on Friday, as the men’s team coasted to a third straight title and sophomore Jamie Brusa shined for the women with a seventh overall finish.

The Illini Challenge, a six or four kilometer race for the men and women, respectively, featured both teams taking on Marquette, Illinois State and Bradley.

The men’s team eclipsed them all with a low score of 29 in the meet, beating out a fourth men’s competitor, Danville Area Community College, for the meet title.

The women finished third in their meet behind Marquette and Illinois State with a score of 87. However, Brusa led the way for the Illini and new head coach Jeremy Rasmussen in individual times.

Her race time of 14 minutes, 54 seconds beat out freshman Stacy Hague, 15:13, for the team’s top finish.

“Most of the squad started out a little quick, including Jamie,” Rasmussen said in a press release. “Being an 800-meter runner and moving into a cross country race is difficult, but she competed well. “

“As a team, we’ll have to learn from our mistakes as the season progresses and continue to get better,” he added.

Sophomore Jacob Nachel had the men’s best time at roughly 18:15. Senior Michael Kelley, the team’s second highest finisher, timed in 25 seconds later.

Overall, the Illini men’s team had five runners secure top-15 scores.

“It’s good to start out the year with a good race and build confidence for the season,” Nachel said. “This was a good opportunity to run together as a team and also to run against some other state schools. It’s definitely a good way to get on a roll for the rest of the season.”

Men’s head coach Wendel McRaven was pleased with his team’s overall progress and its success in the season opener.

“It’s good to kick off the season with a win,” McRaven said. “We didn’t run our complete team, but the guys who ran this course last year were smart and showed how much they have matured.”

Neither team will compete again until they travel to Normal, Ill., in two weeks for the Illinois Intercollegiate on Sept. 14.