Illini mens cross-country team set to perform in NCAA Regional Championships

Despite poor results throughout the regular season, the Illinois men’s cross-country team has a chance to put some of those woes behind them at the Midwest NCAA Regional Championships on Friday.

The Illini started the season off on the right foot, winning the Illini Challenge against Missouri. But since then, the team’s best finish has been sixth in the Big Ten Championships and seventh in both the Roy Griak Invite and the Bradley ‘Pink’ Classic. 

The Big Ten Championship, which was held two weeks ago, provided a sneak peek of how the team may perform on Friday.

With lofty expectations coming into the season, sixth out of 12th is nothing to brag about, but I’m here to share why there is still optimism heading into the biggest meet of the year for the Illini.

The Illini had seven runners qualify for the meet, returning five who competed in last season’s NCAA Midwest Regional. Coming in with experience can be crucial in such high stakes races.

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The five that competed in the regional last year for the Illini are Ian Barnett, Will Brewster, Brendan McDonnell, Jannis Toepfer and Paul Zeman. Of the two who did not run for the Illini last season, Bryce Basting ran in the race for Eastern Illinois in past seasons and Garrett Lee will be making his regional debut.

The top two teams at the regional receive automatic berths to the NCAA Championships, and the top four individual finishers not on qualifying teams will earn a spot in the championship as well.

It is possible that the Illini could qualify as a team, but after looking at their performance this season, it is much more realistic to think that one or possibly two of them could qualify individually.

One of the runners that has the best chance of qualifying individually is Jannis Toepfer. Toepfer has finished first or second for the Illini in every meet that he has competed in this season. Also, he was the top finisher at the Big Ten Championships, placing 23rd overall. 

Ian Barnett has also been one of the top runners for the Illini this season, with finishes in the top four for the team in every race that he has competed in this season. At the Big Ten Championships, he finished one spot behind Toepfer.

A dark horse runner to keep in mind for the Illini is freshman Garrett Lee. Lee has not been as consistent as some of the other runners, but has flashed explosiveness in a few races. He started the season off with two top-10 finishes. Then, in the Greater Louisville Classic and the Bradley Classic (two events later in the season), he was a top-three runner for the Illini. It won’t be easy coming in fresh to such a competitive and important race, but because of his teammate’s experience and wisdom, Lee has a chance.

A lot of teams probably counted the Illini and their squad out a while ago. The team has flashed potential throughout the season, but has been unable to put it all together. This big stage would be the perfect chance to take the next step and there’s a good chance of some of the individuals being right in the thick of things.

Kieran is a sophomore in Business. He can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @KHampl95.