For the second consecutive season, the Illinois men’s cross-country team will send two runners to the NCAA Championships. Illinois runners Hunter Mickow and Jannis Toepfer will compete at the national meet on Saturday in Louisville, Ky.

“I am excited for both of them,” head coach Jake Stewart said. “It’s the first time the two of them will be running in the national championship in cross-country. The big concern this week is just recovering as best we can from the regionals last Friday.”

Stewart said the best way to recover is to back off on the intensity of the workouts and of the hard miles during the practice week. At this point in the season, recovery from week to week is the bigger goal than advancing one’s strength and fitness, he said.

The one aspect that gives the team confidence is that both runners have the ability to run successfully at the national meet given the growth that both runners have undergone throughout the season.  

Stewart spoke about the growth of Mickow, saying: “Hunter has seen himself compete among some of the best athletes in the country, and it has been a snowball effect for him. He is getting out much more aggressively in each race and responding very well to movements in the race, be it near the finish line or in the middle of the pack. Hunter is among some very established company, and he doesn’t back down from the other top runners he is up against.”

Toepfer, a first-year runner hailing from Bochum, Germany, has also experienced a significant amount of growth throughout the season — growth that can benefit him at the national meet. 

“Coming from Europe, where the approach to long-distance running is quite different from here in the U.S., Jannis definitely has had an adjustment period,” Stewart said. “He is a quick learner, though. After his first meet of the season, he has gotten better every week and is a very diligent and consistent worker.”

The sheer volume of runners whom Toepfer and Mickow will have to contend with on Saturday is another challenge facing the duo. There will be runners competing from 31 different schools plus 39 other runners selected through the qualification process and receiving at-large bids.  

“There will be close to 200 really talented runners on the course at nationals, making it that much more important to avoid falling behind too far at the start,” Toepfer said. “Right when the gun goes off, you need to start fast and make sure you’re at your best.”

The familiarity between both runners and the ability to feed off each other’s movements in the race is what gives the team confidence heading into Saturday.  

“The fact that we are used to running together and being pretty familiar with his running style is the biggest benefit of racing along with a teammate,” Mickow said.

Mickow outlined his expectations for himself and the Toepfer, saying: “I expect the both of us to run a strong race and be named All-Americans. We’re confident and know we have the potential and the ability.”

Dan can be reached at [email protected].