Sept. 14, 2011

CHICAGO - The UIC cross country team is set to compete in the Illinois Intercollegiate Friday. The women's five-kilometer championship race begins at 5:00 p.m. (CT) and the men's eight-kilometer championship race is at 5:45 p.m. (CT) at the Weibring Golf Course in Normal, Ill.

"I expect to see vastly improved times this weekend from the women's team," head coach Jim Knoedel says. "We already have a five-kilometer race under our belts, the course is gentle and the weather should be cooler. Our goal is to use these factors to our advantage and achieve a top-five finish."

The team looks to junior Jaime Johnson (River Grove, Ill./East Leyden) and freshman Tess Ehrhardt (Geneva, Ill./Geneva) to lead the Flames during the race. Ehrhardt led the Flames last weekend at the NIU Open finishing in 19th place with a 19:33.97.

"Jaime has been a good leader for the team and she works very well with Tess," Knoedel states.

On the men's side, senior Brian Denk (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South) is a strong competitor for the Flames. Denk finished in 16th place with a 21:24.80 at the UIC Home Opener.

"If Brian runs aggressively, he has a shot at the individual title," Knoedel says.

"The men's team learned their lesson after the first meet," Knoedel adds. "They need to be recovered after hard training. We are ready for this weekend, and I feel that we are one of three teams with a shot at a first-place finish."

UIC is joined by a large field of teams including host Illinois State, Loyola, University of Chicago, Bradley, Illinois Wesleyan and North Central.

Be sure to check back to UICFlames.com for complete results and a recap of the UIC cross country team's results at the Illinois Intercollegiate.

--UIC--