NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State cross country is set to open its 2019 season at the Hawkeye Invitational hosted by the University of Iowa on Friday, Sept. 6 at the Ashton Cross Country Course. The women's 4K race is slated to begin at 6 p.m. with the men's race following with a 6:45 p.m. start.
Illinois State is one of nine women's teams competing at the Hawkeye Invitational, including Missouri Valley Conference foes Drake and UNI. Iowa State, Stephens College, Hawkeye Community College, Iowa Central Community College, Iowa Western Community College and host, Iowa, are among the other women's teams set to compete on Friday.
The Redbird men will compete against seven other teams, including Drake and UNI from the MVC. Other competitors the Illinois State men will face include Iowa State, Hawkeye Community College, Iowa Central Community College, Iowa Western Community College and host, Iowa.
Friday's season-debut at Iowa marks the fifth-straight year that the Redbirds have opened the season at the Hawkeye Invitational.
Last year's season opener was highlighted by a top-15 performance from Kimathi Johnson who led the Illinois State men to a fourth-place team finish. On the women's side, the Redbirds were led by the trio of Annie Moore, Rachel Hickey and Kennidi Knoblock who finished 16th, 17th and 18th, respectively, to lead the ISU women to a fifth-place team finish.
The ISU men enter the 2019 campaign coming off a runner-up finish at the MVC Championships and a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional, their highest finish at Regionals since 2001. With the loss of All-MVC and All-Region honoree Kyle Mattes and All-MVC honoree Cody Baele, the Redbird men were selected third in the MVC Preseason Poll and will rely heavily on their eight newcomers this season.
Illinois State returns three runners on the men's side who competed in the MVC Championships and/or NCAA Midwest Regional in 2018. Jack Anstey raced at both the Valley Championships and the NCAA Midwest Regional, recording a personal-best 10K time of 32:27.50 at Regionals, while Matt Blanco and Jake Gillum both saw action at last year's MVC Championships.
On the women's side, the Redbirds enter the 2019 season ranked second in the MVC Preseason Poll after finishing third as a team at the MVC Championships last year. In addition to returning four runners who competed at the 2018 NCAA Midwest Regional, the Redbirds also return Grace Beattie to the 2019 roster, after she redshirted the 2018 season.
Hickey, Knoblock and Moore will look to lead the way for the ISU women with Hickey and Knoblock coming off of All-MVC and All-MVC Honorable Mention seasons, repectively, and Moore falling just shy of All-MVC Honorable Mention honors last year.
Beattie will also provide depth for the Redbirds on the women's side with two seasons of experience competing at the Valley Championships and the NCAA Midwest Regional. The Woodstock, Illinois native was within three spots of All-MVC Honorable Mention honors as a freshman and a sophomore.
Results from the Hawkeye Invitational will be available at hawkeyesports.com/hawkeyeinvitational.
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