PEORIA, Ill. – At Saturday's Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championships, hosted by Bradley, in Peoria, Illinois, the Illinois State men's and women's cross country teams both posted their highest finish since the 2015 campaign. The Redbird men were named the 2018 MVC Runner-Up, with the women placing third.
"We are very pleased to be walking away with a second-place trophy, as trophies don't come easy in the MVC," said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Jeff Bovee. "I'm very proud of how the guys competed, considering that we had five runners in the top-10 through 4K. It was a tight battle, and we went down swinging, so I'm very happy with the effort we gave today."
The Illinois State men were led by seniors Kyle Mattes and Cody Baele, who both captured top-five overall finishes and etched their names on ISU's all-time top-10 list. The duo remained within the top-five of the field for the entirety of the 8K race, with Mattes ultimately placing fourth in a personal-best 24:07.90 and Baele following in fifth with a personal-record time of 24:17.90. Not only did these marks earn the pair All-Conference honors, but their times currently rank second and fifth, respectively, in Redbird cross country history at the 8K distance.
For Mattes, this marks the fourth time in just as many years that he has earned All-Valley honors on the cross country circuit. He is only the fourth person in ISU cross country history to accomplish this feat, joining Chris Bailey (1995-98), Tony Daniel (1987-90), and Christian Goy (1999-02) on this coveted list. In addition, Mattes is only the 16th person in the MVC to receive All-Conference honors four times.
Kimathi Johnson also had an unforgettable performance Saturday, placing 14th overall in a personal-best 25:00.30 to earn All-Conference Honorable Mention distinction. Johnson entered the championship race ranked outside the top-20, shocking the field with his 30-second personal-best and top-15 finish. He was an integral reason that the 'Birds were able to bring home second place.
Completing the scoring for the ISU men were Kevin Koski (25:12.70) and Jack Anstey (25:34.20), who placed 20th and 29th, respectively. Overall, the Redbirds tallied 71 points, falling to MVC Champion Bradley (40 points). Drake (93 points), Indiana State (114 points), and Northern Iowa (136 points) rounded out the top-five.
The Illinois State women ruffled some feathers with their third place finish, placing two spots higher than where they were predicted to finish in the MVC pre-championship poll. The Redbirds (85 points) trailed second-place Loyola (75 points) by only 10 points. Bradley's women were also crowned the MVC Champion with 51 points.
"The women out-kicked their coverage today after coming in ranked fifth and finishing third," said Bovee. "This is the team that we have been seeing in training all season, and to see them put it together on the biggest race day was fantastic. I couldn't be more proud of them."
Today's women's race was a total team effort, as four Redbirds placed in the top-20, broke the 18-minute 5K mark, and captured personal-bests. Rachel Hickey and Audrey Janik led the ISU attack, both running aggressive, gutsy races. Hickey constantly picked people off over the course of the race, eventually finishing eighth in 17:37.30. Janik started the race strong, and finished even stronger, edging out a Bradley runner at the finish line to place ninth with a time of 17:38.00. With their performances, both Hickey and Janik earned All-Conference accolades.
Kennidi Knoblock was also extremely impressive, running her way to All-Conference Honorable Mention honors. Knoblock was a force to be reckoned with over the entirety of the 5K circuit, crossing the finish line in 17:48.10 and cutting 47 seconds off of her previous personal-best en route to a 13th place finish.
Annie Moore and Rachel Hoffman captured personal-records as well. Moore placed 17th overall with a time of 17:57.30. She has now recorded at least a 30-second personal-best in three-consecutive races. Hoffman finished 39th in 18:40.30.
The Illinois State men's and women's cross country teams will be back in action on Nov. 9 when they return to Peoria, Illinois, for the NCAA Division I Cross Country Midwest Regional.
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