NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State Cross Country is set to travel to Iowa City, Iowa for the NCAA Midwest Regional on Friday, Nov. 12. The action from the Ashton Cross Country Course is set to begin at 11:00 a.m. CT with the women's 6K race. The men's 10K will follow at noon CT. Redbird student-athletes will be vying to qualify for the NCAA Championships, wither as a team or individual. Both races will be broadcast live on BIG Ten Network+.
MVC CHAMPIONSHIPS
Freshmen Ailey Mitchell and Charlie Wetzel led Illinois State at the MVC Cross Country Championships, finishing eighth and 13th, respectively. The ISU women notched a third-place finish, while the men finished fifth overall.
Mitchell earned All-MVC First Team honors, finishing in the top-10 of the women's 6K to lead the Redbirds. Her time of 21:27.3 was a new personal best and ranks as the 10th-fastest time in school history.
Juniors Caroline Meyers and Rachel Hickey were the next to cross the finish line for ISU, finishing in 13th and 14th, respectively to earn All-MVC Honorable Mention honors. Meyers earned All-Valley honors in just her first season as a Redbird and set a new personal best with a time of 21:43.3 in the 6K.
On the men's side, it was Wetzel who paced Illinois State for the third time this season. His time of 25:07.7 was good for 13th, as he earned All-MVC Honorable Mention honors. Wetzel previously earned All-Valley honors last season.
Just four seconds behind Wetzel was junior Matt Blanco, who clocked in with a time of 25:11.9 to finish 15th overall and earn All-MVC Honorable Mention honors for the second time in his career. Blanco's 15th-place finish was his highest finish in an MVC Championship race since 2019, when he finished 11th.
For their performance on the course and in the classroom, Mitchell, Hickey, Wetzel and Blanco were named to the MVC Cross Country Scholar-Athlete team.
THE COMPETITION
The 'Birds are set to compete against 32 fellow midwestern foes, including: Northern Iowa, Saint Louis, Minnesota, Eastern Illinois, Missouri, Tulsa, North Dakota State, Nebraska, Wichita State, Kansas State, Illinois, Kansas, Southern Illinois, SIU Edwardsville, Iowa State, Kansas City, Illinois-Chicago, Loyola, Missouri State, South Dakota State, Creighton, Oklahoma State, North Dakota, DePaul, Northwestern, Bradley, SE Missouri, South Dakota, Western Illinois, Drake, Illinois State, Northern Illinois, Nebraska-Omaha and Iowa.
On the women's side, Minnesota (5), Oklahoma State (6) and Iowa State (13) all rank in the USTFCCCA National Coaches' Poll. On the men's side, Oklahoma State (3), Iowa State (4), Tulsa (10) and Minnesota (23) are all ranked.
LAST TIME AT THE NCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL
For the first time in two years, the Redbirds will be back competing at the NCAA Midwest Regional, following last year's cancellation. In 2019, former Redbird Jack Anstey posted the top performance for Illinois State at the NCAA Midwest Regional.
Anstey, who raced just the second 10K of his collegiate career, clocked in at a personal-best 31:59.3, which is a 28-second improvement from his time at last year's Midwest Regional, to place 46th overall.
On the women's side, Grace Beattie was the top finisher for the Redbirds, placing 80th overall with a time of 22:18.7. Beattie's 80th-place finish is her best finish at an NCAA Midwest Regional in her career.
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
For fans who can't be in attendance, both races will be broadcast live on BIG Ten Network+. Follow along on Twitter at @RedbirdTFXC for updates from the NCAA Midwest Regional. Live results will also be available here.
UP NEXT
If Illinois State qualifies as a team or has individual qualifiers, student-athletes will travel to Tallahassee, Florida for the NCAA Championships, set for Saturday, Nov. 20.
ILLINOIS STATE STARTING LINE – WOMEN'S 6K
Maddi Exline (Jr.) // Claire Fuhlhage (Jr.) // Ashley Heagy (Fr.) // Rachel Hickey (Jr.) // Caroline Meyers (Jr.) // Ailey Mitchell (Fr.) // Kaitlin Skeate (Fr.)
ILLINOIS STATE STARTING LINE – MEN'S 10K
Matt Blanco (Jr.) // Lucas Capistrant (Jr.) // Jake Gillum (Sr.) // Charlie Kistner (Fr.) // Zachary Loomis (Fr.) // Charlie Wetzel (Fr.)
For all the latest news on Redbird track & field and cross country, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
