CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois State men's and women's cross country teams wrapped up its regular season Friday, evening at the Illinois Arboretum, as the men's team turned in a solid performance led by redshirt junior Ryan Bybee.
The men tallied a total of 44 points to finish second overall at the Illini Open, while the women only saw action from Kaley Ummel and Lindsey Lewis.
Bybee finished 10th with an 8,000-meter time of 25:58, while Robbie Taylor was just seconds behind him with an 8K time of 26:00.
"He (Bybee) ran significantly better this week than he did a week ago," Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Jeff Bovee said. "This course is challenging in that you have to do a steep hill a few times and also make a lot of turns. He handled it really well, especially for a middle distance guy. I am really impressed with his aggressiveness and how he got out there early, attacking the course. That was big improvement for him this week."
Brendan Hoskins and Paul Steeno finished neck-and-neck with each other, as each athlete captured an 8,000-meter time of 26:18, and rounding out the Redbird scoring lineup was Joe Singleton who crossed the finish line in 26:33.
Wes Ward clocked an 8K time of 26:53, while Aidan Askin finished in 27:30.
"We ran a lot of our younger guys today, along with our 800-meter guys running unattached," Bovee said. "Some of them got to experience their first 8K today, and they had fun with it. They made the best of the opportunity. I was pleased with Rob. I think he looked really good out there today. He looked strong the last few K's, and Paul has been very consistent. Hoskins also had a nice race as well."
Ummel and Lewis represented the lone Redbird women on the course today, as Ummel finished first of the duo with a 5,000-meter time of 20:28. Lewis clocked a 5K time of 21:12.
The Redbirds are back in action Saturday, Nov. 1, as the squads head to Southern Illinois for the Missouri Valley Cross Country Championships. Race times are slated for an 11 a.m. start.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
