Redbird XC to Compete for Conference Title at MVC Championships

NORMAL, Ill. — The Illinois State Cross Country squad opens the postseason on Friday, Oct. 31, at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships at Angel Mounds in Evansville, Ind. The Redbird women will compete in the 6K at 10:30 a.m., followed by the men's 8K at 11:30 a.m. The awards ceremony will begin at 12:20 p.m. All tickets will be sold for $5 at the gate on race day. 

ISU AT MVC'S

• The men finished runner-up at the 2024 MVC Championships, while the women placed sixth.
• ISU's William Sinclair won an individual title on the men's side in 2024, while the last women's individual title came from Rachael Brewer in 2013.
• The Redbirds had six runners crack the program's top-10 list at the 2024 MVC Championships, which is the second- most at a single event in school history.
• The Redbird men have won the conference title 10 times, with their last coming in 2020-21.
• The Redbird women have claimed seven MVC titles, with their last coming in 2012.

MVC HONOREES
ISU HAS HAD...

• 88 Men's First Team All-MVC Selections
• 67 Women's First Team All-MVC Selections
• 14 Men's All-Conference Honorable Mention Selections
• 7 Women's All-Conference Honorable Mention Selections
• 38 Men's MVC Scholar Athletes
• 46 Women's MVC Scholar Athletes
• 6 MVC Athlete of the Year Honorees 

PRE-MVC CHAMPIONSHIP POLL
The MVC league office announced Tuesday the results of its pre-championship poll voted on by the conference's head coaches. Both the Redbird men (88 points) and women (92 points) were picked to finish in third place at Friday's conference championship meet.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH JEFF BOVEE
"Both the men's and women's teams have better races in them. On paper, we might look top-three or top-four, but we're capable of much higher. It's about getting everyone to do their part, know their role and run a good team race. It's not about individual glory. It's about working on shortening the time between the first and fifth finishers and running as a team."

STARTING LINE – WOMEN
Nora Brady (Jr.) // Cameron Crump (Fr.) // Maggie Reed (Sr.) // Vivianna Sanfilippo (5th Yr.) // Pauline Schedler (Fr.) // Astrid Van Breedam (So.) // Brooke Zeibert (Fr.) // Colleen Zeibert (So.)

STARTING LINE – MEN
Julian Baker (So.) // Luke Barham (So.) // Will Gelon (So.) // Blake Oleson (Jr.) // Ethan Reynoso (Jr.) // Logan  Scott (Fr.)  // Kane Shields (Jr.) // Cayde de Waal (Jr.) // Josh Weeks (So.)