EVANSVILLE, Ind. — The Illinois State women's cross country team placed third, and the men placed fourth out of 11 schools at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships on Friday.
The Redbird women scored 90 team points, trailing Bradley (15) and Indiana State (85). The Redbird men tallied 111 team points behind Bradley (49), UIC (74) and Belmont (89).
"The women battled well," said ISU head coach Jeff Bovee. "They were patient. Just missed out on that second place finish, but we battled really well."
Junior transfer Nora Brady led the Redbird women with a seventh-place finish to earn First-Team All-MVC honors. Brady (Nursing; 4.0 GPA) was also named the MVC Women's Elite 18 Award Recipient, given to the top female cross country student-athlete in the conference.
"Nora was really patient and ran a good race today," said Bovee. "That was a big highlight for us."
Freshman Pauline Schedler finished 12th to receive All-MVC Honorable Mention. Senior Maggie Reed and sophomore Astrid Van Breedam each recorded season-best performances to cross the finish line in 21st and 23rd, respectively. Freshman Cameron Crump placed 30th to be the fifth and final point-scorer for the Redbirds.
Sophomore Colleen Zeibert placed sixth for ISU and 37th overall, with graduate Viviana Sanfilippo placing 39th. Freshman Brooke Zeibert rounded out the eight Redbirds in the race with a personal-best time of 22:20.88 to finish 40th.
Sophomore Julian Baker led the way on the men's side, finishing ninth to earn All-Valley First-Team honors for the first time in his career.
"Julian was equally as patient today and had the best race of his Redbird career," said Bovee. "He's figuring out how to put it altogether. I'm really pleased with Julian's efforts."
Juniors Kane Shields and Cayde de Waal then crossed the line back-to-back in 18th and 19th place, respectively. About 10 seconds later, junior Blake Oleson took 25th, followed by the Redbirds' final point-scorer, sophomore Will Gelon, in 41st.
"Kane Shields had a strong performance, and Pauline showed she was one of the top freshmen in the conference," said Bovee.
Sophomore Luke Barham finished sixth for ISU and 52nd overall. Freshman Logan Scott was right behind him in 53rd. Junior Ethan Reynoso and sophomore Josh Weeks rounded out the nine Redbirds in the race in 71st and 89th, respectively.
AWARD WINNERS
Women's All-Valley First-Team
Women's All-Valley Honorable Mention
Women's Elite 18 Award
Men's All-Valley First-Team
MEN'S 8K RESULTS – 4th Place (111 points)
9. Julian Baker, 24:45.84 // 18. Kane Shields, 25:07.53 // 19. Cayde de Waal 25:09.89 // 25. Blake Oleson 25:20.46 // 41. Will Gelon, 25:39.87 // 52. Luke Barham, 25:58.82 // 53. Logan Scott, 25:58.86 // 71. Ethan Reynoso, 26:23.25 // 89. Josh Weeks, 27:46.41
WOMEN'S 6K RESULTS – 3rd Place (90 points)
7. Nora Brady 21:12.22 // 12. Pauline Schedler 21:22.03 // 21. Maggie Reed, 21:41.60 // 23. Astrid Van Breedam, 21:52.24 // 30. Cameron Crump, 22:00.15 // 37. Colleen Zeibert, 22:16.37 // 39. Viviana Sanfilippo, 22:17.59 // 40. Brooke Zeibert, 22:20.88 (PR)
UP NEXT
The Redbirds have two weeks to prepare for the NCAA Midwest Regional in Stillwater, Okla., on Friday, Nov. 14.
