Following a strong performance where the men’s and women’s cross country teams placed in the top 10 during pre-nationals, their toughest challenge stood ahead. The Big Ten Cross Country Championship is one of the most prestigious tournaments of the year. With all the usual powerhouses, the competition was tough.
Illinois hosts for the first time since 2011
After being tasked with hosting the Big Ten championship for the first time in 13 years, this event meant just a little more to the Illini. The race was hosted at the orange and blue golf course, which provided an excellent championship experience.
In an event with 15 men’s and 18 women’s teams, both placed in the top 10. For the men in particular, while it’s a far cry from their second-place finish in pre-nationals, they still finished ninth out of 15 teams. The women also had a solid finish, finishing 10th out of 18 teams. However, the competition was extremely tough since Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin all finished within the top three for both programs.
Halle Hill, Alex Partlow lead the way once again
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Junior Alex Partlow and senior Halle Hill once again led the way for the Illini and recorded the fastest times for their respective teams. In the men’s 8000m, Partlow finished the day with 23:19.6, placing 30th out of 151 participants. For the women’s 6000m, Hill had a great performance at 19:43.7. Her performance landed her 16th among 188 other participants.
Partlow and Hill have led by example to propel this team all season. It’s hard not to look around and wonder who will step up for the women next year, though, once Hill graduates. Hill has clearly been the anchor, and there’s no true successor set up for the team just yet.
On the men’s side, Partlow will still be there in 2025 to lead his teammates. It’s unclear who will take over that leadership role for the men’s side, but the team still has another year. One thing is for sure: The Illini will miss Partlow and Hill in a big way once they pass the torch.
Record breaker
Great may be an understatement for Hill’s recent performance. Hill’s 19:43.7 time broke the 6k school record with her 16th-place finish. After her record-breaking time, Hill earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors. This is especially important for the program because it’s the first time a woman has earned the achievement since Emma Milburn earned the distinction in 2022.
Hill now holds the school record, which was held for 15 years by Angela Bizzarri. Bizzarri was a legend for the program, breaking the record in the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Championships. Bizzarri also became Illinois’ only female national champion, which is still true today.
The record-breaking didn’t stop with Hill, as Partlow also broke the men’s 8k record with his 23:19.6 time. Previously, Dylan Lafond held the record of 23:22.4, which he set during the Big Ten Cross Country Championship in 2015. To show how much the competition has increased over time, Lafond finished third with that time while Partlow ended up in 30th place.
Men shatter previous personal bests
While the attention was on Partlow for this event, all the men broke their personal bests. The juniors, Brady Masters (23:55.1) and Joshua Daggett (24:14.9), both took down their previous bests in the biggest tournament to date. Seniors Anthony Maida (23:52.0), Stephen Moody (23:52.4) and Will Merrick (24:07.0) all accomplished this feat as well.
Several women set new career highs
For the women, freshman Kennady Anderson (20:55.8) beat her previous personal best in the most important event of the year. The freshman rose to the occasion and didn’t disappoint. Sophomore Mabry Bruhn (21:05.6) also stepped up to the challenge and accomplished the same goal. Going up one more grade, junior Audrey Ginsberg (21:46.1) set her personal best as well. Seeing these younger runners crush this massive event must bring a sense of confidence across the entire program.
