Trent Hoerr has yet another accomplishment to add to his senior season running for the Fighting Illini men’s cross country team. At Saturday’s NCAA Midwest Regional in Peoria, Hoerr captured the individual title in the 10 kilometer race with a time of 29 minutes, 56 seconds.

“It’s a bittersweet feeling,” Hoerr said in a press release. “It would be nice if the team was going to be there, too.”

The Illinois team finished sixth overall with 175 points. Out of the 23-team field, Oklahoma State took the title followed by Big Ten foes Minnesota and Iowa State rounding out the top three.

Originally ranked No. 5 in the Regional competition, the Illini needed to place within the top three teams to keep their season alive. With the lower finish, Illinois did not receive a bid to Nationals, ending its season.

“I was a little disappointed, we didn’t meet all of our goals this year,” said head coach Wendel McRaven. “The three seniors of the group – Trent Hoerr, Mike Kelley and Justin Aronson – are great mentors for the future of the program.”

Coming in second for Illinois was sophomore Jacob Nachel, placing 24th overall with a time of 30:49 followed by Kelley at 38th with a time of 31:17 to round out the top three Illini finishes.

Excited and proud of Hoerr, McRaven agreed the senior’s victory was “bittersweet” for the rest of the team.

Already looking ahead to next season, McRaven believes this year has been a positive learning experience for his younger runners.

Looking back, the Illini found success early in the season by claiming both the Illini Challenge and Illinois Intercollegiate Championships. But after receiving national votes during September, the team gradually began slipping lower in the more competitive meets.

Overall, McRaven is happy with his team and was proud of the way it ran.

Even though the rest of his team is done, McRaven has another week with Hoerr in preparation for the National meet.

“Trent ran a great race, a smart race,” McRaven said of the Morton senior. “It was nice for him to win in front of his hometown friends and family.”

Labeled as one of McRaven’s “bright spots,” Hoerr has just seven more days of practice before traveling to Terre Haute, Ind., for the NCAA Championships on Nov. 19.