Sept. 1, 2010
2010 UIC Home Opener in PDF Format
CHICAGO - The UIC men's and women's cross country teams have been training against each other for the past two weeks and it's time for some fresh competition as they get set for the Home Opener this Saturday, Sept. 4th.
The Flames will welcome Horizon League foes Green Bay and Milwaukee, along with local rivals Chicago State and St. Xavier, to Horsetail Lake in suburban Palos Hills, Ill. where they will compete in the Home Opener.
The women will race first at 10:00 a.m. and run a two-mile course. The men's contest begins at 10:30 a.m. and features a 4.1 mile track.
UIC head coach Jim Knoedel is energized for his harriers to begin a new year.
"The exciting thing about this race is that we face two conference rivals," said Knoedel. "It will give us an idea of where we stand because these teams have given us great battles in the past couple years."
Both UIC rosters feature a strong mix returning veterans and promising newcomers. On the men's side, Brian Denk and Matt Morse have been two of the top performers in the preseason, while Rosie Gillam has been leading the way for the ladies.
Morse won the event last year, crossing the finish line in 20:27.0 and setting a new UIC Horsetail record. The men also claimed the third (Sam Kehoe), fourth (Roger Pinon), sixth (Denk) and seventh (Tyler Hinckley)spots at last year's race.
For the women, Hannah Reilly is the Flames top returning finisher. As a freshman, she grabbed the seventh spot after posting a time of 12:11 in the two-mile event. Grace Millhorn finished ninth, while Gillam ran eleventh at the 2009 meet.
Knoedel said he is looking for those leaders who will all be competing again in 2010 to assert themselves again this time around.
"They've shown that they can put in a lot of miles over the last two weeks," said Knoedel, who enters his 15th season as head coach. "This first race will be a chance for some of our upperclassmen to step up and show the freshmen what college running is all about."
For a complete look at all the entries for the UIC Home Opener and a course map for Saturday's race, please click on the PDF above.
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