PEORIA, Ill. – At Friday's NCAA Division I Cross Country Midwest Regional, hosted by Bradley, in Peoria, Illinois, senior Kyle Mattes earned All-Region distinction for the second-consecutive year, leading the Illinois State men to a ninth place finish, their highest since the 2001 season.
"I'm extremely proud of the men for finishing the season with two very strong championship performances," said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Jeff Bovee. "We ran a more conservative race this week as compared to at the MVC Championships, and our patience paid off, earning us our highest regional finish in 17 years."
Competing in his first 10K of the season, Mattes remained poised for the entirety of the race, positioning himself in the lead pack early on and staying steady as the race progressed. As the pace picked up over the final 2K of the competition, he never faltered, eventually finishing eighth with a time of 31:04.60. Mattes, who placed seventh at the 2017 NCAA Midwest Regional, becomes the first Redbird to earn back-to-back All-Region accolades since Ryan Rutherford in 2013 and 2014.
As the current 2018 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship picture stands, Mattes is right on the bubble. With Regional Champion Iowa State and Runner-Up Bradley claiming the automatic team bids out of the Midwest Region, Mattes is the fifth student-athlete in line to earn one of the region's four individual qualifying spots. This will be decided tomorrow evening when the NCAA grants its at-large bids at 4 p.m. CT on NCAA.com in their inaugural NCAA Cross Country Selection Show. Mattes can earn a spot in next weekend's NCAA Championship if Oklahoma State receives an at-large team bid or if he is awarded one of two individual at-large bids.
As for the rest of the Redbird men, they close out the 2018 cross country season ranked ninth in the Midwest Region, their best finish in 17 years. Kevin Koski ended his junior campaign with a top-50 regional finish, placing 49th with a personal-best 10K time of 32:07.80. Cody Baele (32:22.90), Jack Anstey (32:27.50), and Kimathi Johnson (32:32.90) ran as a pack effectively, placing 64th, 69th, and 77th, respectively, and completing the scoring for the 'Birds.
On the women's side, the Redbirds finished two spots higher at this year's regional meet than last year, placing 20th among 34 teams. The women's team showed constant improvement over the course of the season, and that was no different today, as all five of the Redbird scorers achieved 6K personal-bests.
Audrey Janik was the first ISU runner to cross the finish line for the third time this season, placing 68th in 21:45.40. Rachel Hickey followed closely behind, finishing 69th in 21:46.60 to complete an impressive freshman campaign. Kennidi Knoblock (22:21.50) and Annie Moore (22:25.0) also finished within seconds of each other, placing 120th and 125th, respectively. Rachel Hoffman rounded out the top-five for the 'Birds, clocking in at 22:49.60 to finish 161st and score in back-to-back meets.
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