Fighting Illini senior runner Angela Bizzarri has won the 2009 individual national championship in women’s cross country with a time of 19:46.8.

Bizzarri edged out Washington’s Kendra Schaaf by just under five seconds to capture the title. The finish marked the second national championship of Bizzarri’s college career, after the Mason, Ohio, native won a national title in the 5000 meter run during the spring 2009 outdoor track and field season. Bizzarri’s time of 19:46.8 was a school record and a new personal best in the 6K run; her previous best mark was 19:59.

“This was my last cross country race, and it was a perfect way to end it,” Bizzarri said in a press release. “I didn’t want to start out the race too fast because I prefer going out more even. But I still wanted to keep in close contact with the lead group, and I felt like I did a good job with that. Eventually with the last two or three kilometers, the front of the pack started coming back to me and I was able to capitalize on that, which worked out to my advantage. It was a great race, and I am so excited.”

After trailing the lead pack for much of the 6K race, Bizzarri separated from the rest of the pack along with Schaaf around the 5K mark. With about 100 meters to go, Bizzarri used her final kick to pull away and take the title by almost five seconds.

“For Angela to be the national champion in cross country, it’s just unbelievable,” cross country coach Jeremy Rasmussen said in a press release. “She followed her plan for the race perfectly. Her race at Pre-Nationals really helped her out today because she knew she could come back from a huge gap. For her to be able to not only do that today, but also win by five seconds is awesome.”

With the win, Bizzarri earned the eighth All-America honor of her college career. She is first female in the history of Fighting Illini cross country to win a national championship.

The Illini as a team finished 12th at the NCAA Championships meet with 365 points. Sophomore Kristin Sutherland was the second Illini to cross the finish line in 41st place with a time of 20:45.9. Other runners representing Illinois at the meet held in Terre Haute, Ind., were Elizabeth Boyle, Chantelle Groenewoud, Danelle Woods, Jamie Brusa, and Ashley Thompson.

“We finished 12th, but pretty much everyone ran near their personal-best,” Rasmussen said. “We wanted to be in the top 10 and I thought we had a good shot at doing it, but to come in to the National Championships and run at your personal-best is exactly what you need to do. That’s what we talk about all year long, so we can’t walk away disappointed. There’s no shame in being 12th in the nation and having a national champion on your team.”