NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State Cross Country team is set to travel to Columbia, Missouri to compete at the Gans Creek Classic, on Friday morning, at the Gans Creek XC Course. The event begins at 8 a.m. with the men's 8,000-meter race, while the women's 6,000-meter race follows at 8:45 a.m.
THE FIELD
Over 50 teams are set to compete at the event including multiple nationally ranked men's and women's squads in the latest USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Cross Country National Coaches' Polls.
LAST TRIP TO COLUMBIA
The Redbirds return to Columbia after competing at the Gans Creek Course in 2022. The men's team finished 11th with a point total of 317, while the women's squad finished ninth with 265 points.
REDBIRD INVITE RECAP
The Redbirds swept the Redbird Invite as the women's and men's teams secured first-place finishes. The women's team finished with a point total of 23 while the men's squad earned a 29-point.
Senior Mattison Plummer led the way for the Redbirds in the women's 6,000-meter race with a mark of 21:31.10 to secure a first-place finish. Senior Lauren Schulze recorded a personal best time of 21:50.90 to earn a third-place finish. Freshmen Astrid Van Breedam impressed in her collegiate debut earning a fifth-place finish with a mark of 21:59.30.
Senior Mathis Chavand followed Plummer to record a first-place finish in both the women's and men's races for Illinois State. Chavand recorded a personal best time in 8,000 meters with a mark of 23:57.20. Senior Zack Loomis helped notch a 1-2 finish for the Redbirds, finishing at 24:18.30. Junior Yusuf Baig earned a personal best time of 24:44.00 to finish sixth.
ILLINOIS STATE STARTING LINE – WOMEN
Grace Erb (So.) // Trixie Johnson (So.) // Mattison Plummer (Sr.) // Maggie Reed (Jr.) // Viviana Sanfilippo (Sr.) // Lauren Schulze (Sr.) // Kaitlin Skeate (Sr.) // Ashlyn Smith (Fr.) // Astrid Van Breedam (Fr.)
ILLINOIS STATE STARTING LINE – MEN
Yusuf Baig (Jr.) // Julian Baker (Fr.) // Luke Barham (F // Mathis Chavand (R-Sr.) // Nick Doud (Gr.) // Charlie Kistner (Sr.) //Â Zack Loomis (Sr.) // Dylan Myers (So.) // Blake Oleson (So.) // William Sinclair (Gr.) // Josh Weeks (Fr.)
UP NEXT
The Redbirds will travel to Peoria, Illinois to compete at the Bradley Pink Classic. The event is hosted by Bradley University and is set to begin at 2 p.m.
