AMES, Iowa - The Illinois State men's and women's cross country teams travel west to Ames, Iowa, to compete in the Midwest Regional Friday, Nov. 15.
The men's 10K race is slated for a 12 p.m. start, while the women's 6K is set to begin at 1:15 p.m.
Ryan Rutherford will look to lead the Redbird men for the fifth-consecutive meet, having earned a second-place finish at the Missouri Valley Conference Championship race with an 8K time of 24:02.6. The Bloomington, Ill., native has placed in the top-20 four-consecutive races and looks to continue his streak, vying for a bid to the NCAA Championship meet.
Tyler Morse will also look to pace the Redbird men, after finishing 14th at the Valley championships with an 8,000-meter time of 24:59.8 to earn honorable mention accolades.
Jeff Bajema, Sean Senf and Dave Eckhart will look to round out the top-five of the Redbird scoring lineup, with Aidan Askin and Ryan Bybee also toeing the starting line.
Rachael Brewer looks to pace the Redbird women, after notching her first collegiate victory at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships. Brewer finished first with a 5K time of 17:26, earning Athlete of the Year honors. The Tuscola, Ill., native looks to earn her fourth top-25 finish of the season as she competes for a bid to the NCAA Championships.
Kim Christensen will also look to pace the Redbirds, finishing 14th at the MVC Championships with a 5K time of 18:03 to earn honorable mention accolades.
Haley Goers, Kristen Zillmer and Kelly McShea look to round out the scoring lineup, after finishing 16th, 17th and 18th, respectively, at the Valley meet. Haley Verbeke and Ellen Devereux will also compete for the Redbird women.
The Midwest regional is home to the defending men's national champions, No. 3 Oklahoma State. The Cowboys come in ranked No. 1 in the region, having claimed the last two regional titles. On the women's side, the No. 7 three-time defending regional champions, Iowa State, come in as this year's favorites.
Fans can follow live action on GoRedbirds.com or on Twitter via @ISURedbirds and @ISU_Track_XC.
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