Meyers and Head Pace Illinois State in Hawkeye Invitational

IOWA CITY, Iowa. – Senior Caroline Meyers and freshman Julian Head led the way for the Illinois State cross country program, as the women notched a fourth-place finish, while the men logged a seventh-place finish at the Hawkeye Invitational on Friday evening.

A transfer from UMKC, Meyers crossed the finish line in a time of 14:45.7 to place 27^th overall and was the top finisher for the Redbird women.

Fellow UMKC transfer Claire Fuhlhage followed closely behind to finish 29^th. To round out the scoring, a trio of freshman – Lucie Grandjean, Mattison Plummer and Lauren Schulze – each posted top-40 finishes, as the ISU women finished as the top Missouri Valley school at the meet.

"On the women's side, we had a fantastic group of newcomers that gave us a shot in the arm," Jeff Bovee, Director of Track & Field/Cross Country, said. "A ten second gap from one to five is by far one of the best time spreads that we've had in a long time. The returners had quite a few improvements as well that I was really pleased with."

In his collegiate debut, Head made his presence felt, leading the Redbird men and placing 16^th overall in the men's 6K race, clocking in with a time of 19:08.8.

"On the men's side, Julian Head, coming in as a true freshman to lead the 'Birds, was a big boost for us," Bovee said. "We had a lot of middle-distance guys out there that competed very well. I think we accomplished things that we wanted to accomplish today."

Following Head in his impressive debut, Riley Wells and Charlie Kistner finished within seven seconds of each other in 23^rd and 28^th, respectively. Kistner, who finished third for the Redbird men, is another true freshman. Charles Murphy (44^th) and Jordan Wood (49^th) were the last to contribute to Illinois State's scoring on the men's side.

UP NEXT

Illinois State has a weekend off before hosting the Redbird Invite on Friday, Sept. 17, as ISU welcomes 13 other schools to the Weibring Golf Course. The meet will mark the first home meet for the 'Birds in over two years.   

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.