MADISON, Wis. – Racing against the top competition in the country at the NCAA Pre-Nationals, hosted by Wisconsin, senior Kyle Mattes showed his experience on the national stage Saturday, capturing an 8K personal-best and moving up the Illinois State record books.
Mattes, a 2017 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship qualifier, proved that he is no stranger to competing against the nation's best. He led the Redbirds for the entirety of the 8K White Race, making his biggest move during the middle part of the race, passing 73 runners from the 2K mark to the 6K mark. Mattes finished the race just as strong, crossing the finish line in a personal-best 24:18.70 to finish 29th among 232 student-athletes. With the time, Mattes improves to fifth all-time on the Illinois State top-10 list.
Mattes was supported over the course of the race by Cody Baele, Jack Anstey, and Kevin Koski, all three of which captured personal-records. This Redbird trio worked together nicely over the course of the race, constantly making their way up through the pack. Baele ran his way to a top-100 finish, placing 57th with a time of 24:44.70. Anstey (25:08.60) and Koski (25:13.00) finished 110th and 120th, respectively.
Rounding out the scoring for the Redbird men was Kimathi Johnson, who crossed the finish line in 26:41.30. Brett Haffner also complete the 8K circuit, clocking in at 26:54.40. As a team, ISU placed 21st out of 34Â squads, many of which were ranked regionally (and nationally) by the USTFCCCA. The Redbirds knocked off 10 regionally-ranked opponents, including Stony Brook (No. 4 in the Northeast), Liberty (No. 6 in the Southeast), and MVC-foe Indiana State (No. 11 in the Great Lakes).
The ISU women were led by Audrey Janik, who has been the top Redbird finisher for the past two meets. Racing in the 6K Cardinal Race, Janik got off to a good start when the gun sounded, gaining momentum as the race went on. She passed 43 runners over the middle 2K of the race, eventually finishing 136th with a personal-best time of 22:04.38.
Competing in the first 6K of her career, Rachel Hickey was the next ISU runner to cross the finish line, clocking in at 22:11.04. She was followed by Kennidi Knoblock (22:24.28) and Annie Moore (22:32.54), both of which recorded personal-bests. Knoblock's mark bested her previous personal-record by 19 seconds, while Moore's time was a massive 49-second personal best. Phoebe Clowser (23:03.68) completed the scoring for the Redbirds.
The ISU women showed grit and toughness in a highly-competitive race, finishing 31st overall and defeating a pair of USTFCCCA regionally-ranked opponents in Baylor (No. 9 in the South Central) and Charlotte (No. 14 in the Southeast).
The Redbird men's and women's cross country teams will be back in action Friday when they compete in the Illini Classic, hosted by Illinois, in their final tune-up before the MVC Cross Country Championships.
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