Both the Illinois State mens and womens cross country teams have been picked second in their respective preseason Missouri Valley Conference polls.
The Redbird women were one spot behind defending champion SMS, who received all 10 first place votes. With the likes of Jen Klostermann, Diana Ainsley and Betsy McDonald all returning, the Redbirds should be a contending team all season long.
On the mens side, the Redbirds actually got more first place votes (4) than the preseason number one, Northern Iowa (3). The Birds ended up three points back, as they had 79 to UNIs 82. Despite the loss of NCAA Indoor Mile Champion Christian Goy, the Birds have plenty of top-notch returners, including Jeremy Doherty and Walker Eye.
We should be right there, contending for the title on both sides at the end of the season, said Illinois State cross country coach Chris Bailey. We have two outstanding teams, and I think if we continue to train hard and stay healthy, we have the chance to make this a great year.
Illinois State opens up its cross country schedule on September 6th, when it hosts the Redbird Challenge.
