Oct. 16, 2007
NEW ORLEANS -
The Illinois State men's cross country team improved to No. 11 in the NCAA Division I Cross Country Midwest Regional Rankings while the Redbird women held steady at No. 13, as announced by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
The Redbird men improved to No. 11 in the polls after ranking No. 13 for the past three weeks. The Redbirds' improvement in the regional rankings came after ISU finished second behind Missouri in a field of 15 teams at the Bradley Classic Oct. 12. ISU placed four runners in the top-eight in the men's 8K race, as Matt Mroczynski (24:41), Scott Krapf (24:45), Jordan Anderson (24:48) and Mike Richardson (25:04) placed second, fourth, fifth and eighth, respectively.
The Redbird women also had a solid performance at the Bradley Classic, as they competed in their first 6K race of the season, and finished fourth from a field of 17 teams. Leading the `Birds for a fourth-straight meet was senior Suzy Turner, who finished the race in 21:54 (19th).
Illinois State is not the only school in the Missouri Valley Conference gaining recognition in the USTFCCCA regional polls. On the men's side, The Valley is also represented in the Midwest region by Southern Illinois (No. 10) and Drake (No. 12), and in the Great Lakes region by Indiana State (No. 11). Wichita State is ranked No. 9 in the women's Midwest region poll, followed by Missouri State (No. 10).
The ISU men's and women's cross county teams return to action at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championships in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Oct. 27.
