It’s the final race of the season for the Illinois Cross Country Club as the team heads to Lexington, Kentucky this weekend for the 2015 NIRCA National Championships. Saturday marks the last time IXC will toe the line this year in four championship races against the rest of the nation’s NIRCA clubs. Illinois is poised for success in Kentucky after a great regular season.
Last weekend, the women’s team claimed the Great Plains Regional Championship in dominating fashion, with five runners claiming top-10 all-Regional medals. The women have had a strong front pack all season. They’re led by women’s captain Megan Mocogni who has had a historic season for the club. She set a new record in the women’s 5K twice and has finished in the top-3 of her last 3 races, including an individual Regional championship. It’s been a one-two punch at the top of the results with Mocogni and grad student Beth McGreal. Beth finished second at Regionals two weeks ago, and she was an All-American 15th place at Nationals in 2013. Lauren Choi has had a phenomenal senior season and junior Emma Burkhardt is back in her second race coming off of injury after an all-Regional finish two weeks ago.
The men took third at the Great Plains Regional and they”ll take on regional rivals Wisconsin and Iowa State as well as strong competition from across the country. The men should have a strong pack led by junior Jared Ripoli. Brad Coyle returns to NIRCA Nationals for the first time since 2008. Freshmen Josh Feldman and Willy Wolf will make their Nationals debuts and Michael Frintner, David Choi and Ryan Somerfield will make their A-race debuts after strong fall seasons.
IXC shines with its depth and it will be in full display in the B-races. Last year, the men won handily and placed seven in the top 15. The women recorded their highest ever finish in second place. It”s the final culminating race of the season and IXC Is poised for success. The women”s B-race goes off at 10:30 with the men at 11:30. The women’s A-race starts at 12:40 and the men run at 1:40. We”ll keep you posted from Lexington on IXC”s season finale.
