The Illinois women’s cross country team is facing a stacked field of conference competitors Sunday in the Big Ten Championships, a precursor to the NCAA Midwest Regionals in two weeks.

The Illini haven’t competed since placing fifth two weeks ago in the Terre Haute, Ind., Pre-Nationals and start the Championships season ranked 10th in the country. They will compete Sunday against seven teams ranked in the top 30 nationally and will be looking to improve on last year’s disappointing fifth-place finish in the Big Ten.

“Going into the Big Ten meet this Sunday, I am excited to see the girls compete against the best women’s distance conference in the nation,” cross country coach Jeremy Rasmussen said in a press release. “With seven teams currently ranked in the top 30, our women are going to have to be on point to achieve their goals. We have prepared all season to get to the championships portion of our schedule and Sunday will hopefully be the start of a long run of success.”

Angela Bizzarri claimed the fifth-best finish in the Championships last year as a true freshman and has been the team’s top runner this season. Bizzarri finished fourth at Pre-Nationals two weeks ago and has been one of the most consistent runners in the nation to this point.

Michigan, ranked sixth in the nation, has won the conference championship in each of the last five years. Ranked in the top 10 and also competing are Michigan State and Minnesota. Iowa, Wisconsin and Penn State are ranked Nos. 18, 21 and 26, respectively.

“As for Michigan, we can’t get caught up in the fact they are going for their sixth-straight championship, or what any other team is doing,” Rasmussen said. “We can only control what we are able to accomplish on Sunday.”

In order to qualify for the National Championships in three weeks, the Illini will need a good finish at the NCAA Midwest Regionals on Nov. 10. Only a top-two finish or an at-large bid will advance the team to Nationals.