Sept. 14, 2009
NEW ORLEANS - The Illinois State men's and women's cross country teams were ranked No. 12 in the NCAA Division I Cross Country Midwest Preseason Regional Poll, as announced by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Monday.
"As far as preseason rankings go, typically people look at how teams performed over the past year and the team's tradition, but ultimately what matters is how well you do in the postseason," said head coach Jeff Bovee. "It feels good to be recognized as one of the Top-15 in our region.
"We will get the chance to run against teams in our region and other regions at the Notre Dame Invitational (Oct. 2) and the Pre-Nationals (Oct. 17). We will also compete against Illinois in our home meet Friday, and they are ranked No. 2 in the Midwest. I think the rankings are a good start for us and give us something to build on, but we want to focus on this week and the Illinois Intercollegiate Championships."
The Redbird women finished 13th, while the men took 11th place at the NCAA Midwest Regional in 2008.
On the women's side of the poll, ISU was joined by fellow Missouri Valley Conference members Wichita State, Missouri State and Southern Illinois, who took 10th, 13th and 15th places, respectively. Along with ISU, Valley foes Southern Illinois (5th) and Drake (15th) were ranked in the top-15 in the men's Midwest Regional Poll.
The Redbirds will compete in their second meet of the season, Friday, at the Illinois Intercollegiate Championships at 4:15 p.m., at the Weibring Golf Club at Illinois State University.
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