NORMAL, Ill. – After a weekend without competing, the Illinois State cross country team is back in action at the Gans Creek Classic at the Gans Creek Recreation Area in Columbia, Missouri on Friday, Sept. 27. The women's 6K begins at 5 p.m., with the men's 8K following at 5:30 p.m. Awards for the top-10 finishers will begin at 6:30 p.m.
Illinois State will compete against 10 programs, including two Missouri Valley Conference teams, two SEC opponents and one team from the Big 12 Conference. The teams that Illinois State will be competing against at the Gans Creek Classic include: host Missouri, Drake, North Florida, Southeast Missouri State, St. Louis, Southern Illinois, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UMKC and Alabama-Birmingham.
With the Tigers' new course recently completed, the Redbirds return to Mizzou for competition for the first time since 2005.
ISU is coming off of a top-three team finish on the women's side and a top-four team finish on the men's side at the Illinois State Invite. Junior Jack Anstey took home the title at the Redbirds' home meet and currently holds the top 8K time in the Valley.
Freshman Tyler Klouda and junior Jake Gillum were the next two Redbirds to finish on the men's side, posting top-25 finishes for Illinois State. Klouda finished 18th in the first 8K of his collegiate career, while Gillum wasn't far behind with a 23rd-place finish.
On the women's side, the Redbirds had three athletes finish in the top-10 at their home meet, including redshirt junior Grace Beattie who was the runner-up and holds the third-fastest 5K time in the Valley this season.
Sophomore Rachel Hickey and senior Kennidi Knoblock also posted solid performances at the Illinois State Invite, with Hickey finishing fourth and Knoblock finishing 10th in their season debuts. All three ISU finishers in the top-10 recorded personal-best times.
After racing a 4K in the season debut and a 5K at their home meet, the Redbird women will run their first 6K of the season on Friday evening. The men will run their second 8K of the year.
Fans who can't make the trip to Columbia can follow live results here.
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