NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State men's and women's cross country teams are ready to put all of their hard work to the test Saturday at the Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championships, hosted by Bradley, at the Newman Golf Course in Peoria, Illinois. The women's 5K will kick things off at 10:35 a.m., with the men's 8K following at 11:35 a.m.
Admission to both races is free of charge. For fans who cannot be in attendance, both races will be streamed on ESPN3, with the women's 5K broadcast beginning at 10:30 a.m. and the men's 8K broadcast starting at 11:30 a.m. Results will be provided by ShaZam Racing, and will be made available on Twitter via @Redbird_TrackXC.
RANKED FOR A REASON
The Illinois State men will need to run a near-flawless race to de-throne Valley-favorite Bradley on their home course, but the 'Birds have proven this season that they are capable of giving the Braves more than they can handle. After winning the annual Illinois State Invite and defending their home course on Sept. 14, the Redbirds were ranked No. 8 in the Midwest Region by the USTFCCCA (their highest regional-ranking in program history) for three-consecutive weeks. The 'Birds, who remain No. 9 in the Midwest Region, are ready to show what they are made of Saturday.
BACK AND READY FOR MORE
A three-time All-MVC Selection and 2017 NCAA Cross Country national qualifier, senior Kyle Mattes is back and has his sights set on not only a team, but an individual Valley title, this season. Mattes, who was the third overall finisher at last year's MVC Championships, currently holds the top 8K time in the Valley (24:18.70). Not only did this mark earn him MVC Athlete of the Week accolades on Oct. 16, but it also improved him to fifth all-time in the ISU record book.
STRONG SUPPORT SYSTEM
Mattes will not be the only Redbird to take notice of, however, as Cody Baele, Jack Anstey, and Kevin Koski are all forces to be reckoned with. These four student-athletes composed ISU's top-four finishers at every major meet this season. Kimathi Johnson, Brett Haffner, Matt Blanco, and Jake Gillum will also compete Saturday as they seek to help ISU claim their first MVC Cross Country title since 2002.
STRENGTH COMES IN NUMBERS
The Redbird women are ready to ruffle some feathers this weekend, having shown constant improvement over the course of the 2018 campaign. After multiple breakthrough performances at the Joe Piane Invitational, ISU holds five of the top-20 times in the Valley at the 5K distance. Audrey Janik (17:55.05) sits fourth in the MVC heading into Saturday's race. Janik, along with Rachel Hickey, Phoebe Clowser, Annie Moore, and Kennidi Knoblock have set the pace for the team during the 2018 season.
A NEWÂ STAGE
Of the seven student-athletes that will be racing for the Redbird women this weekend, only two (Janik and Knoblock) competed in the 2017 MVC Cross Country Championships. This makes Saturday's race a new experience for much of the Redbird squad, including freshmen Hickey and Kassye Todd and juniors Moore and Rachel Hoffman, who will be competing in the first Valley Cross Country Championship of their careers. Clowser will be racing in her first MVC Cross Country Championship since 2016.
For more information on Saturday's meet, view the full meet notes or visit mvc-sports.com.
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