MEET INFO
NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State men's and women's cross country teams travel to Iowa City, Iowa, to compete in the Division I NCAA Midwest Regional Friday, Nov. 11, at Ashton Cross Country Course. The women's 6K is set to start at 11 a.m., while the men's 10K will begin at noon.
The Ashton Cross Country Course boasts a rolling terrain with an outstanding rhythm for running. Some features include a 2,000-meter perimeter and a layout that will enable spectators to view the entire race, from start to finish, from one vantage point.
The 2016 Midwest Regional meet will feature 32 men's teams and 35 women's teams with a total of 469 student-athletes who will attempt to advance to nationals. Each team declares only seven runners from both men and women. The top-two teams in each race and the top-four individuals in each race will automatically move to the next round. There will also be at-large bids for the next 13-fastest teams across the nation, as well as the next two-fastest individuals on both the men's and women's side.
On the women's side, All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team honoree and runner-up of the MVC women's 5K championship, Ariel Michalek will look to earn her first all-Region honors by placing in the top-25 at the regional meet.
The last time a Redbird women earned All-Region honors was in 2012 when Rachael Brewer finished 19th with a time of 21:22.
Erica Brown looks to make an impact, while Grace Beattie will debut in her first regional competition. Beattie placed 17th at the MVC championships, nearly missing All-MVC honors, while Brown placed 21st, respectively.
For the men, All-MVC Kyle Mattes will look to earn his first All-Region in the men's 10K. Coming off a strong performance at the MVC championships, Jeff Bajema will be looking for his chance at a top-25 finish as well. Joining Bajema and Mattes will be Kevin Koski, who looks to make an impact in his first appearance at the Midwest Regional meet.
There will be free admission to attend the meet, or fans can go to GoRedbirds.com for full coverage following the conclusion of the meet.
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