URBANA — Last year the Uni girls cross country team had to deal with a lack of numbers. Sometimes fewer than five runners were healthy enough to take part in meets.

But this year is a different story. Head coach Doug Mynatt's team has doubled in size, and the depth has resulted in excellent team performances in such meets as the Kickapoo Kickoff Classic on Sept. 1 (third out of nine schools), the Chrisman Cowchip Classic on Sept. 5 (fourth out of 14), the Uni home meet on Sept. 15 (first out of five), and the Tuscola Invitational on Sept. 19 (fifth out of 12).

Individually, the Illineks have improved their times as the season has progressed. The leader, as expected, is senior Elizabeth Russell, one of the area's top runners. She placed third at the Twin City Championship on Sept. 8, covering the challenging U of I course in 20 minutes, 13 seconds for a third-place finish. At the Tuscola Invitational she earned a spot in the top 10 against some of best runners in central Illinois by recording a time of 20:24.

Russell is joined by such up-and-coming teammates as freshman Sarah Vaughen and junior Emma Coverdill. Expectations were already high for Vaughen, who was an IESA all-stater as a subfreshman. She hasn't disappointed as a varsity athlete, finishing a solid second to Russell in most of the team's races this year.

Coverdill, on the other hand, is a multisport athlete who is new to the team. The determination she's shown in other sports such as soccer has already paid off, as she's emerged as the team's No. 3 runner, giving the Illineks an effective 1-2-3 punch that could take them far when the IHSA Class 1A postseason begins in late October.

The girls have two meets remaining in the regular season: Saturday at the St. Joseph-Ogden Spartan Classic, which will take them and hundreds of other runners through the streets of downtown St. Joseph, and the Cumberland Invitational on Oct. 10.

The postseason begins two week later with regionals at Kickapoo State Park on Oct. 24, followed by sectionals at Decatur St. Teresa on Oct. 31 and the state meet in Peoria on Nov. 7. In the meantime, check out this slideshow of the Illineks competing in such events as the Kickapoo Kickoff Classic, the Chrisman Cowchip Classic, the Twin City Championship, and the Uni home meet.