The Illinois Cross Country Club started the season at Eastern Illinois on Friday night with a successful showing at the Walt Crawford Open. Conditions were much more favorable than years past and athletes took advantage with several strong performances.
The women”s race was highlighted by a tight front pack. Newcomer Emily Condic shone in her first collegiate race as the team”s No. 1 runner. She ran 19:30 in her second-ever 5K. Senior Emma Burkhardt, the team”s top returner, came in as the second runner and sophomore Anneliese Schulz was just behind as the third finisher. Two veterans rounded out the scoring five in senior Allison Gibson and junior Erin McKee.
The men were led by their young talent. Three of the top five finishers were sophomores. Sophomore Willy Wolf led the charge in 26:35 on a course he”s become very familiar with. He was followed by fellow sophomore Josh Feldman. The two were the only freshmen in the men”s A-race for the team at Nationals, and they look poised to make another jump this year. They were followed by senior David Choi, who cemented himself as a top seven stalwart last year. Sophomore Arturo Woodward-Montes had a breakout race to finish as the team”s fourth man with a huge PR. Senior Jared Ripoli, a NIRCA All-American in 2014, completed the scoring five.
The club returns to action in three weeks at the Augustana Brissman-Lundeen Invite on Sept. 23.
Note: IXC Now is a quick post-race recap of the team’s top finishes. A full recap highlighting all of the team’s great performances in-depth is still to come.
