NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State men's and women's cross country teams will look to hit the ground running when they open the 2018 campaign Friday at the Hawkeye Invitational, hosted by Iowa. The women's 4K is scheduled to start at 5 p.m., with the men's 6K starting at 5:45 p.m.
In addition to the Redbirds, Friday's meet will feature five teams, including MVC foes Drake and UNI, and the host Hawkeyes. Live results of the meet will be available to fans.
The Redbird men are coming off of a 2017 season in which they finished 12th at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Midwest Regional and third at the MVC Championships, their highest Valley finish since 2015. Returning almost everyone from last year's team, including 2017 NCAA Cross Country Championships qualifier Kyle Mattes, the 'Birds enter this season ranked 12th in the Midwest Region, per the USTFCCCA's Regional Rankings. Illinois State was picked to finish second in the Valley, according to the MVC preseason coaches' poll.
The Redbirds will be led Friday by juniors Kimathi Johnson and Thomas Thornton, as well as sophomore Scott Anderson. All three student-athletes bring experience to the table, which will be invaluable as multiple ISU runners make their collegiate debuts. Matt Blanco, Lucas Capistrant, Riley Fortune, Brett Haffner, and Timothy Stevenson will all put on a Redbird uniform for the first time.
The Illinois State women, who were selected to place fifth in the Valley this season in the MVC preseason coaches' poll, will look to find success from a combination of experience and young talent. Returners Annie Moore, Phoebe Clowser, Kennidi Knoblock, and Lesly Rocha will all be faces to watch on Friday.
Several Redbird women will also be making their debuts, including Rachel Hickey, Natalie Sparreo, and Kassye Todd.
For live action of the meet, follow @Redbird_TrackXC on Twitter. Full coverage of the meet can be found on GoRedbirds.com following the conclusion of the race.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
