Pat, Jeff, and I drove over to Terre Haute, IN for the NCAA Cross Country Championships today. What an event! On the men's side, Oregon won the team title. Individually, it was a battle from start to end with Josh McDougal (from Liberty University) edging out Galen Rupp (Oregon) at the finish. It was awesome watching them on several spots on the course. Fans are allowed to run across the race course and watch the runners wherever they want. I caught the men in 6-7 spots including the straightaway to the finish line. The Illinois men only had one qualifier (Trent Hoerr). He ended up 16th overall and made All American!
On the womens' side, Stanford took the team title and Sally Kipyego (Texas Tech) easily beat out everyone to take the individual crown. She was more than 15 seconds ahead of the pack. The Illinois women were ranked 10th in the nation coming into the championships. They ran well, taking 6th overall as a team! Angela Bizzarri led the Illini and finished 14th overall. Another All American for the Illini.
I hope Indiana State hosts the championships again next year. I've enjoyed going over there the last few years. The race course is one of the few dedicated to only cross country races. Very spectator friendly and an easy drive from Champaign, IL.
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