NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State men's and women's cross country teams will travel to a pair of highly-competitive meets this weekend. Half of the team will head up I-74 to nearby Peoria, Illinois, to compete in the Bradley Pink Classic Friday. The remainder of the Redbird squad will preview the 2018 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship course Saturday when they race in the NCAA Pre-Nationals, hosted by Wisconsin.
Bradley Pink Classic (Friday)
Both the ISU men and women will compete in the Red Race at Friday's Bradley Pink Classic, with the women's 6K slated for 3:15 p.m. and men's 8K scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Newman Golf Course. Live results for the meet will be made available to fans.
The Redbird men and women will each face a slew of seeded opponents, with the women's field featuring 13 regionally-ranked and four nationally-ranked teams, and the men's field boasting 14 regionally-ranked and three-nationally ranked opponents, per the USTFCCCA. Both fields also include eight of the top-15 teams in the Midwest Region and seven Missouri Valley Conference opponents. This gives the 'Birds the perfect opportunity to stake their claim both in the region and the conference.
The ISU women will be led at the Bradley Pink Classic by senior Lesly Rocha and freshman Kassye Todd, who have both competed in all-three meets for the Redbirds so far this season. They will be joined by Rachel Hoffman, Maddi Exline and Natalie Sparreo, who is making her Illinois State debut.
The Redbird men will be guided by several upperclassmen in senior Ethan Kirk and junior Thomas Thornton. They will be supported by a handful of talented underclassmen, including Matt Blanco, Colton Bell, Lucas Capistrant, Jake Gillum, and Timothy Stevenson.
NCAA Pre-Nationals (Saturday)
This year's Pre-Nationals race consists of two evenly-seeded races per gender, the "Cardinal" and "White" races, with a maximum 35 teams being placed in each race. Both the Redbird men and women have earned a spot in a seeded race, with the women set to compete in the 6K Cardinal Race at 10 a.m., and the men scheduled to compete in the 8K White Race at 12:15 p.m.
Both races will be held on the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course in Madison, Wisconsin, the site of the 2018 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. Live results for the meet will be made available to fans, and a live-stream of the races can be watched on FloTrack.org (with subscription).
To say that this meet is the Redbirds' biggest test of the season would be an understatement. The field for the women's Cardinal Race is composed of 31 regionally-ranked teams (out of 35) and 10 nationally-ranked squads, per the USTFCCCA. Among the nationally-ranked opponents is the top team in the country, No. 1 Colorado, along with No. 4 Oregon, No. 7 Arkansas, and No. 9 BYU.
The men's field for the White Race is no different, including 32 regionally-ranked teams (out of 35), ten of which are ranked in the top-10 of their respective regions. In addition, the race features nine nationally-ranked squads, a few of which include No. 2 BYU, No. 4 Portland, No. 8 Syracuse, No. 9 Purdue, and No. 10 Air Force.
The last time out at Notre Dame's Joe Piane Invitational, the Redbird men placed four runners (Kyle Mattes, Cody Baele, Jack Anstey, and Kevin Koski) under the 25-minute mark for the 5-mile circuit. These four student-athletes, along with Kimathi Johnson and Brett Haffner, will be back in action this weekend, and are ready to prove that they can compete on the national stage.
The ISU women were led at the Joe Piane Invitational by Audrey Janik, who broke the 18-minute barrier in the 5K for the first time of her career en-route to a 47 second personal-best. Rachel Hickey, Phoebe Clowser, and Annie Moore also captured personal-records at the meet. This group, along with Kennidi Knoblock, will look to achieve 6K personal-bests Saturday.
For live action of the Bradley Pink Classic and NCAA Pre-Nationals, follow @Redbird_TrackXC on Twitter or visit GoRedbirds.com at the conclusion of each meet.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
