Published: November 21, 2009 12:59 am      

Ex-Lady Ram running in NCAA XC championships

By JOHN ROARK

john.roark@register-news.com

CHAMPAIGN — What a difference a year makes. Just ask Ashley Thompson.

Last fall, Thompson’s cross-country season was over. Simple fact was, her times were not good enough to make the University of Illinois’ traveling squad.

That all changed over the past summer, when the 2006 Mt. Vernon Township High School graduate increased her workload. Now, Thompson and her Fighting Illini Orange and Blue teammates are competing in Monday’s NCAA championships at Indiana State University in Terre Haute.

“I didn’t even get to go to the Big Ten championships last year,” said Thompson. “I didn’t make the travel team, so my season was basically over.”

Thompson not only made the travel team this year with the U of I, but she is also part of the scoring core for Jeremy Rasmussen’s team.

Thompson had a strong effort at the Sept. 18 Illinois Intercollegiate Championships, where she ran second on the team behind Illinois’ top runner that day, Jamie Brusa.

Brusa and Thompson have been battling for the fifth and final scoring slot this fall for Illinois, which last weekend won an automatic team bid for the finals after finishing second in the NCAA Midwest regionals at Missouri State.

“Right now we’re ranked 16th in the country coming in,” Thompson said, “but we think we can get into the top 10.”

Illinois lost the Big Ten title to Penn State by a mere six points. Thompson set a new personal 6K best of 21 minutes, 58 seconds, to finish 44th.

The Nittany Lions — as well as the rest of the Big 10 national team qualifiers — are a goal of Thompson’s and the Orange and Blue.

“We want to finish in front of them,” Thompson said. “With all the runners that will be there Monday, we think we can do it.”

Thompson and the Illini have already run over the Terre Haute course, that being Oct. 17 at the pre-nationals. Thompson said the race wasn’t one of her better efforts.

“I didn’t really run well there,” Thompson said. “Sometimes I get really nervous before races, and I think that happened at pre-nats. It will be to my benefit that I did get a race over the course.”

Thompson and Brusa pushing each other may make the difference on where U of I lands.

Angela Bizzarri is Illinois’ top runner, and was the Midwest regional race winner last weekend in Springfield, Mo. Kristin Sutherland, Elizabeth Boyle and Chantelle Groenewoud back run two through four.

“We have four pretty strong runners up front,” Thompson said. “Then it’s usually up to me, Jamie and Danielle Woods for the fifth spot.”

Thompson got stronger herself during the summer months when she came back to work out with MVTHS senior distance standout Margo Richardson.

“My main thing was training hard, getting my weights in and other exercises,’ Thompson said. “Plus, Margo didn’t really have anyone to work out with her, so I was able to get some work in.”

Thompson is a senior academically — she is majoring in kinesiology — but has junior eligibility in cross-country. She’ll graduate in December 2010, and will come back next fall — after running track (1,500 and 3K) in the spring.

For now, Thompson is happy to see the fruits of her labors paying off.

“Last year, everyone else was running and I wasn’t,” Thompson said. “This year has been like night and day.”