IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Illinois State men's and women's cross country team both finished second place at the Hawkeye Early Bird Invitational. Junior Jeff Bajema captured second-place overall with a time of 19:12.2, with only a 0:02.6 gap from the first-place finisher. On the women's side, Ashley England notched a ninth-place finish with a time of 10.38.3.
"I am ecstatic with the way the men's team finished today," Illinois State Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Jeff Bovee said. "They showed that they trained hard over summer and came out with only a 18 second gap. We had veteran leadership from, Jeff Bajema who lead the team through the race. There were break-through performances coming from redshirt-freshman L.D. LaFayette, Brendon Hoskins and Kyle Mattes who finished in the top-5 for our men's."
On the men's side there were seven Redbirds who finished in the top-20. J.D. LaFayette and junior Brendan Hoskins cross the finish line ninth and tenth, respectively. LaFayette captured a 6K time of 19:21.1, while Hoskins notched a time of 19:24.2. Paul Steeno finished 13th with a time of 19:29.7. Freshman Kyle Mattes was next to cross the finish line, running a time of 19:30.7. Joe Singleton finished 19th with a time of 19:34.5.
Wes Ward and Aidan Askins picked up times of 19:40.1 and 19:43.1, respectively. Freshman Skyler Arthur and Ethan Kirk had their first appearance as a Redbird. Arthur finished with a 6K time of 19:47, and Kirk captured a time of 20:02.6
"I was very pleased with our women's team today," Bovee said. "The women completed with only a 0:08.3 gap between the first-place finisher and the fifth-place finisher. We focus on staying together through the race as a team, and that is what we did today. It was a great start for the lady Redbirds"
The women's team finished right behind Iowa State, who are ranked no. 1 in the nation, according to U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Kimi Sanden, Haley Goers and Haley Verbeke finished 11th, 12th and 13th, respectively. Sanden captured a 3K time of 10:40.8, while Goers and Verbeke finished with a time of 10:42.1. Erica Brown and Megan Krolak were next to cross the finish line for the ISU. Brown placed 17th with a time of 10:46.6, while Krolak ran a time of 10:49.7 and placed 18th.
Freshman Lesly Rocha and Kennidi Knoblock picked up times of 10:51.1 and 10:57, respectively. Sophomore Lindsey Lewis captured a 3K time of 11:07.6. Rachel Devereux and Sarah Voss had their first race as a Redbird. Devereux ran a time of 11:34.4, while Voss finished with a time of 11:36.8.
"The conditions today were very hot and humid," says Bovee. "We had our no. 1 fan, President Larry Dietz and his wife, Merlene cheering us on today, along with other Redbird fans. I am thankful for all the Redbird fans that traveled to Iowa to cheer us on in today's heat. It was a great day for the Redbirds."
Both men's and women's are back in action hosting the annual Country Financial ISU Invitational. The women's 5K race is slated to begin at 5 p.m., with the men's 8K race to follow at 5:45 p.m. Fans are encouraged to come out and cheer on the Redbirds at Weibring Golf Course.
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