Illini men finish 2nd, women 3rd in sunny season opener in Savoy

A warm, sunny day set the stage for Illinois XC as the Illini opened their season with top-3 team finishes.

SAVOY - It was a beautiful, picturesque day at the Orange & Blue Golf Course in Savoy, just minutes from the University of Illinois campus in Urbana-Champaign. With only a few clouds in the sky and comfortable temperatures just under 80 degrees, runners navigated the course with ease as the Illinois men’s and women’s cross country teams opened the 2025 season at the Fighting Illini Invitational. The Illini men placed second overall with 61 points, while the women finished third with 74.

Women’s Division

Freshman Nora Wollen led the Illinois women with a runner-up finish in the 4K, clocking 13:18.90. Teammate Avril Andre followed in third place at 13:26.50, giving Illinois two of the top three finishers in the race.

Freshman Nicole Poglitsch scored in 23rd (14:20.70), graduate student Lina Maatouk finished 24th (14:25.90), and sophomore Mabry Bruhn added a 29th-place effort (14:33.90). Stella Davis (30th, 14:35.00) and Audrey Ginsberg (36th, 14:47.10) rounded out Illinois’ scoring depth.

Illinois placed third as a team behind champion Bradley (28 points) and runner-up Indiana State (61).

Women’s top five finishers:

1. Kaitlyn Sheppard, Bradley – 13:08.00
2. Nora Wollen, Illinois – 13:18.90
3. Avril Andre, Illinois – 13:26.50
4. Nadia Potgieter, Bradley – 13:31.30
5. Abigail Hancock, Bradley – 13:35.10

Men’s Division

Graduate student Joshua Daggett paced the Illinois men with a fifth-place finish in the 6K, running a personal-best 17:41.90. Sophomores Trey Sato (7th, 17:49.10) and Adam Patel (8th, 17:49.90) added strong scoring performances.

Senior Brady Masters placed 16th (18:16.70), and sophomore Jackson Barrett crossed in 26th (18:30.50) to round out the team’s scoring five.

Illinois finished second behind Bradley (22 points), edging UIC (74) for the runner-up spot.

Men’s top five finishers:

1. Jayde Rosslee, Bradley – 17:23.50
2. Caleb Lind, Bradley – 17:33.10
3. Daniel Chavez, UIC – 17:38.40
4. Travis Gaffney, Bradley – 17:40.50
5. Joshua Daggett, Illinois – 17:41.90

Meet Team Results

Women’s Team Scores (4K):

1. Bradley – 28
2. Indiana State – 61
3. Illinois – 74
4. Illinois State – 98
5. UIC – 134
6. Southern Illinois – 181
7. Northern Illinois – 183
8. Chicago State – 232
Men’s Team Scores (6K):

1. Bradley – 22
2. Illinois – 61
3. UIC – 74
4. Illinois State – 101
5. Indiana State – 129
6. Southern Illinois – 139
7. Chicago State – 195

Tagged: Illinois cross country Fighting Illini Invitational results, Illinois XC 2025 season opener Savoy Orange and Blue Golf Course cross country race, Nora Wollen Illinois women’s cross country, Illinois men’s cross country Daggett Sato Patel

SJO volleyball drops road match, gears up for grueling week ahead

St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball drops first match of the season 25-13, 25-17. Emma McKinney leads with six digs. Home opener vs. Mahomet-Seymour on Sept. 2.

BISMARCK - The St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball team continued its early-season road swing on Thursday, falling in straight sets to Bismarck-Henning, 25-19, 25-16.

SJO SPORTS Emerson Williams paced the Spartans with four kills and six assists, while setter Emma McKinney dished out 11 assists to go with two kills. Ally Schmitz contributed two kills and three digs, and both Hadley McDonald and Addi Childers added two kills apiece. Childers also led the blocking effort with two at the net.

Defensively, libero Katie Ericksen anchored the back row with 11 digs. Despite the effort, SJO (0-2) mustered only seven kills in each set and couldn’t find the consistency to extend the match.

The Spartans face a demanding schedule next week, starting Saturday with a matchup at Mahomet-Seymour. The Bulldogs, last year’s Class 3A state champions, also visit SJO for the Spartans’ home opener on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Main Gym.

From there, Williams and company hit the road again, traveling to Armstrong-Potomac on Wednesday before heading to Teutopolis on Thursday. The week wraps up with a trip to the Mattoon Volleyball Tournament on Saturday.

Bismarck-Henning (1-1), which lost its opener to Unity, heads to Danville on Tuesday before hosting Villa Grove on Thursday.

Match Leaders – SJO at Bismarck-Henning

Emerson Williams: 4 kills, 6 assists
Emma McKinney: 11 assists, 2 kills
Ally Schmitz: 2 kills, 3 digs
Hadley McDonald: 2 kills
Addi Childers: 2 kills, 2 blocks
Katie Ericksen: 11 digs

TAGS: St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball 2025 schedule,SJO vs Bismarck-Henning volleyball recap, Mahomet-Seymour vs St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball preview, Spartan athletics volleyball coverage