NEW ORLEANS – After placing third at the Missouri Valley Conference Championship Saturday, the Illinois State men's cross country team earned the No. 15 spot in the USTFCCCA Midwest Regional Rankings for the second time this season, the USTFCCCA announced Monday. This week marks the first time that the 'Birds have been ranked since the beginning of the 2017 season.
At Saturday's race, hosted by Missouri State, in Springfield, Missouri, junior Kyle Mattes placed third individually, earning All-MVC honors for the third-consecutive year and helping the ISU men to a third-place team finish.
The Redbird men, who were projected to finish fourth in the MVC pre-championship coaches poll, upset fourth-place Loyola to claim a third-place finish with 88 points. Including Mattes, the 'Birds were able to place four runners in the top-25, which ultimately fueled Illinois State's success and earned them their No. 15 regional-ranking.
Illinois State joins MVC champion, No. 5 Bradley, and MVC runner-up, No. 13 Indiana State, on the top-15 charts.
The Redbirds will look to climb the rankings further as they compete for a spot in the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships when they run in the NCAA Midwest Regional on Nov. 10, hosted by Iowa State, in Ames, Iowa.
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