Theres no place like home. Thats why the Illinois State cross country team is excited about its opportunity to host a meet and run on some familiar terrain when the Redbirds host the ISU Cross Country Challenge on Saturday, September 14, at the ISU Cross Country Trail at University Farm.
Being on our home course will definitely serve as an advantage for our athletes, said assistant track and field coach Chris Bailey, who serves as the primary cross country coach. This meet will also give us a chance to race at distances that will prepare us better for the later part of the season.
The meet is slated to begin at 8:45 a.m. with the womens 6K race. The mens race will immediately follow at approximately 9:30 a.m.
Teams participating in the Challenge include: Chicago State (men only), Danville Area Community, DePaul, Illinois Wesleyan, Northwestern (women only), Western Illinois, St. Ambrose, South Suburban College, Loyola and the University of Illinois.
Having some Big 10 competition in this meet will definitely help me see where our team is at, said Bailey. Both Illinois and Northwestern have great cross country programs and it will be interesting to see where we stack up against them.
The meet was originally scheduled to include a high school boys and girls race following the collegiate races, but that portion of the event has been cancelled.
