When Illinois sophomore cross country runner Jason Bill qualified as a freshman for the 2002 NCAA Cross Country National Championships, he was the first Illini freshman since Craig Virgin to qualify as an individual. Virgin qualified for the national championship meet as a freshman in 1973 before becoming NCAA cross country national champion in 1975.

Prior to the start of the 2002 national championship race in Terre Haute, Ind., Virgin pointed out Bill, the only freshman in the field running as an individual, to Paul Pilkington, Weber State's cross country head coach at the time.

"At the starting line, I was talking to Craig Virgin," Pilkington said. "I was there with the Weber State team and Craig told me about Jason. I knew that he was an at-large qualifier as a freshman. That was the first time I'd seen him."

Bill finished 155th, but still made enough of an impact on Pilkington for the Weber State coach to remember the talented shaggy-haired runner.

"I knew he had to be very talented to even qualify and run so well (to advance from) the region meet last year," Pilkington said.

During the summer, Pilkington pursued the men's cross country head coaching position vacated by the retirement of Illinois head cross country coach Gary Wieneke who had been the coach since 1967. Pilkington was named the Illinois men's cross country head coach in August.

Bill needed to make little adjustment going from one talented coach to another.

"Coach Pilkington's so knowledgeable, so excellent," Bill said. "It was honestly a great transition, a smooth change. I have all the confidence in the world in the guy. I just let him plan the training, just trust him and he's going to get us where we need to be."

In Bill's first race of the season, the new coach's methods helped Bill to win the Missouri Cross Country Challenge. The win propelled Bill to receive recognition as Big Ten Conference Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week on Sept. 2.

The two meets since Missouri challenged Bill, as each meet included many more teams to compete against. The Illini's top runner earned a fourth place finish at the Great American Cross Country Festival in Cary, N.C., and a 12th place finish at the Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree on Oct. 4.

"Coming into the season, I just wanted to have success," Bill said. "I missed outdoor track last year [with a stress fracture in his foot], so I honestly didn't know what to expect, what kind of shape I'd be in or how I'd be running. I've met all my goals so far. I think there's bigger things to come, but we'll see."

The next thing to come for Bill and his Illinois teammates is Saturday's Illini Challenge meet in Urbana. The race will start at 9:45 a.m. by the Japanese House just east of the Veterinary School on Lincoln Avenue. The Illini won't slow down for Saturday's meet, with the season's most important meets starting with the Big Ten Championships on Nov. 2 at Michigan State.

Bill's 21st place finish led the Illini during last season's Big Tens at Purdue. Pilkington recognizes that Bill will face a challenge to improve and move up in the Big Ten standings this year.

"Of course we want him to run well at the conference meet and he will," Pilkington said. "They (the Big Ten Conference) only lost two of the top 10 from conference — only two graduated. Eight of 10 return, so the conference is much tougher than even a year ago, but yet he's stepped it up to a new level so he'll be very competitive."

Bill desires success at the Big Ten meet, but reluctantly admits looking beyond, to success at the 2003 NCAA Cross Country National Championships, and becoming Illinois' first All-American cross country runner since 1990.

"Of course it (the possibility of being an All-American) crossed my mind all the time, but I'm just trying to take it one step at a time," Bill said. "We've got Big Tens coming up and you know, hopefully, at the end of the season, I'll be running good enough to possibly be an All-American. I'm not one to make high goals because then everybody has expectations on you. I have expectations on myself, but of course, it has definitely crossed my mind."

While increasing his individual success, Bill has also taken on the leadership role vacated by last year's three seniors: John Kronforst, Justin Mitchell and Aaron Wahls.

"For a sophomore, he's taken on a lot," Pilkington said. "Sometimes, you'll have young runners who are very fast who will be the top runner, but they won't necessarily be the team leader. He, as a sophomore, is the team leader.

"He sets the example, even the older guys will listen to him, and he's doing a good job at really helping the guys."

Pilkington said that of all the athletes he's worked with during his 15-year coaching career, Bill has qualities to propel him to be among the world's elite distance runners.

"He's probably more of a pure distance runner than some of the national qualifiers that I've worked with and some of the All-Americans," Pilkington said. "He's probably a better five and 10 (kilometer) runner. I've worked with some very good milers, good steeplechasers. Jason has the potential to eventually be world class in the five or 10 (kilometer race) and he has good leg speed. Better than probably most people realize."