Redbird Women Picked Second, Men Third in MVC Preseason Poll

NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's cross country team was picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll, while the men's cross country program was selected to finish third and earned one first-place vote, as announced by the conference on Tuesday morning.

In both the men's and women's poll, Bradley was selected to finish first among the league's 12 programs, garnering 142 points on the women's side and 112 on the men's side. The ISU women were picked to finish as the runners-up of the MVC, totaling 126 points, while the Redbird men were selected to finish third with 100 points and one first-place vote.

The Illinois State women return six of their top seven runners and will look to build off last year's third place finish at the MVC Championships. Junior Ailey Mitchell leads the way, as she earned All-MVC First-Team honors at the championship race with an eighth-place finish in a time of 21:27.3, the tenth-fastest time in Illinois State school history. Seniors Caroline Meyers and Rachel Hickey placed 13^th and 14^th, respectively, to earn All-MVC Honorable Mention honors.

The Redbird men, who won the MVC Cross Country title during the 2020-21 season, have a strong group returning and are looking to capitalize on the depth of the roster. Charlie Wetzel and Matt Blanco each return to the Redbirds roster after finishing among the top-15 and earning All-MVC Honorable Mention honors at the 2021 MVC Championships. Additionally, the team welcomes five newcomers.

The Illinois State cross country team opens the 2022 campaign on Thursday, September 1 at the University of Illinois for the Illini Challenge, set to begin at 6:00 p.m. CT.

Preseason Poll

Women's Poll

1. Bradley – 142 (11)
2. Illinois State – 126
3. Belmont – 111
4. Drake – 105 (1)
5. Southern Illinois – 95
6. UNI – 72
7. Indiana State – 69
8. Missouri State – 68
9. UIC – 61
10. Murray State – 48
11. Valparaiso – 22
12. Evansville – 17

Men's Poll

1. Bradley – 112 (6)
2. Drake – 110 (4)
3. Illinois State – 100 (1)
4. Southern Illinois – 80
5. Belmont – 74
6. Indiana State – 61
7. UIC – 57
8. UNI – 52
9. Murray State – 42
10. Valparaiso – 25
11. Evansville – 13

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