The Illinois men’s cross country team concluded its season Saturday at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Stillwater, Okla. The Illini finished ninth out of the 23 teams competing at the event, with host and No. 2-ranked Oklahoma State winning the meet.

After a disappointing performance at the Big Ten Championships, the Illini came out seeking redemption, and three runners placed in the top 50.

“Today was definitely one of the higher points of the season,” head coach Wendel McRaven said Saturday after the race. “We left the meet knowing that we competed better than at the Big Ten Championships, and we ended the season on a positive note.”

Freshmen Nathan Troester and Hunter Mickow led the way for the Illini, finishing 33rd and 35th, respectively. They were 14 and 15 seconds off being named to the All-Regional team and were the third- and fourth-fastest freshmen competing.

“Nathan and Hunter really stepped up to the plate today,” McRaven said. “They both ran really strong races and proved themselves as assets to the team.”

Junior Garrett Weaver, freshman Colin Mickow and junior Jeremy Stevens rounded out the Illini finishers. Stevens ran in the leading pack for the first 8K but had a rough finish.

“I had really hoped to qualify for Nationals and was disappointed with my performance,” Stevens said.

The season did not turn out as well as anticipated, with six runners out with injuries from the beginning of the season, McRaven said.

Stevens led the Illini all season, was named Big Ten Runner of the Week in late September and also won the Illini Challenge.

The team started off the season well, winning two consecutive collegiate races, but then tapered off, placing ninth out of 10 teams at the Big Ten Championships.

The relatively young team was focused mainly on gaining experience. Four freshmen – Troester, Kyle Engnell and Colin and Hunter Mickow – all impressed McRaven with their accomplishments by competing at the top level and improving all season.

“I see a lot of potential in the younger members, which improves our outlook for the future,” McRaven said.

With no seniors on the squad, the entire team will return next season.

“This was not the season that we anticipated but we learned to deal with some diversity this season,” Troester said. “We worked hard on taking our training to the course and are ready for next year.”