Oct. 28, 2010
CHICAGO - After a busy fall season of competition, the UIC men's and women's cross country teams are set to run at the 2010 Horizon League Championships in their own backyard on Saturday Oct. 30 at Montrose Beach in Chicago.
UIC head coach Jim Knoedel, who is in his 15th season at the helm for both teams, has what he considers reasonable expectations for the Flames on Saturday.
"Our women's team has been a little bit dinged up and they've had to do a lot of cross training" said Knoedel. "I know that they've worked hard and they'll certainly be ready to go.
"My goal for the women is to finish in the top half of the Horizon League. There are a lot of teams that will be a challenge for us, but there are a lot of teams we can run against. I expect to respond with a big effort on a big day," said Knoedel.
Knoedel will be counting on season-long stalwarts like Jaime Johnson and Rosemary Gillam to come up big for the Flames on Saturday.
The men's team entered the season with high expectations, but a string of injuries to several key runners has set the team back this fall, as well.
"The men are going to give it a great effort and they'll be right there competing with some of the top teams in the Horizon League like Butler and Loyola," said Knoedel.
Despite having an up-and-down campaign, the Flames boast one of the early favorites in the men's 8K event, junior Brian Denk.
Conference-wide, four men have run a time below 24:40 in the 8K this season and Denk is among that elite group.
Denk finished fourth amongst his UIC teammates and 25th overall at the Horizon League Championship last year. This season, Denk has emerged as one of the top runners in the conference, leading the team at every competition including a first-place finish at the UIC Home Opener in September.
The Darien, Ill. native also captured Horizon League Runner of the Week honors following that performance.
"Brian has worked as hard as anyone this year," said Knoedel. "He's logged a lot of miles and he's put himself in a great position to make some noise on Saturday."
In addition to Denk, Knoedel is excited about the prospects of a strong male freshman class that includes Arash Darbandi and brothers Photis Karkalis and Angelos Karkalis.
"I believe we have three of the top freshmen in the Horizon League. I'm excited to see how the fare on Saturday."
While cross-town rival Loyola is technically hosting the race at Montrose Beach, the Flames hold just as big of an advantage as any other team in the field, noted Knoedel.
"I think it gives us a huge advantage," said Knoedel. "We've trained there at least once a week for almost the entire season. We're very familiar with the course and in many ways its like a home competition for us as well."
Saturday's women's race begins at 11 a.m. followed by the men's competition at 12 p.m. To get to Montrose from the south, take Lake Shore Drive north and exit at Montrose. Follow that east to the course. From the north, take Sheridan Road south and exit Montrose.
