DES MOINES, Iowa. – The Illinois State cross-country squads placed second in the women's 6k and men's 8k at the MVC Championships on Friday.
The Redbird women tallied 67 team points, placing second at the MVC Championships for the first time since 2014. The Redbird men collected 60 team points to finish second for the second time in three years. Both squads trailed Bradley in their respective races.
Senior Nora Brady gathered the fastest 6k time (20:16.1) in program history to finish third among the field, surpassing junior Johanna Ebert's time of 20:37.8 from the Bradley Pink Classic (Oct. 16). She placed inside the top 10 at the MVC Championships for the second-straight year, finishing seventh in 2025. Brady was also named the MVC Women's Elite 18 Award Recipient for the second time, given to the top female cross-country student-athlete in the conference.
Sophomore Pauline Schedler recorded a personal-best time of 20:34.1 for 10th place, registering the second-best 6k time in Illinois State history. Brady and Schedler became the first Redbird duo since 2023 to land in the top 10 at the MVC Championships, helping them earn All-MVC First Team honors.
A trio of juniors rounded out the top 20, as Becca Heitzig, Ebert, and Astrid Van Breedam finished 18th, 19th, and 20th, respectively. Heitzig crossed the finish line at 20:53.5, while Ebert notched a time of 20:54.4. Van Breedam tied the 10th-best 6k time in Redbird history at 20:56.1, matching Krista Deceault's performance from the 2011 Bradley Classic.
Sophomore Cameron Crump and freshman Emily King accumulated personal-best times of 21:32.0 and 21:32.7, finishing 35th and 36th among all competitors. Senior Grace Erb ran a time of 22:19.5 for 60th place.
Junior Julian Baker led the Redbird men for the fourth-consecutive meet, placing second with a time of 23:37.9 to earn All-MVC First Team honors. He became the first Redbird since Mathis Chavand in 2023 to lead the team in four straight events in which the Redbirds recorded a team score.
Freshman Max Weber recorded a personal-best time of 24:09.5 for 12th place, earning All-MVC Second Team and Freshman of the Year honors, becoming the first Redbird freshman to win the award since Chavand in 2022.
Junior Ethan Eichhorn earned All-MVC Second Team honors with his 13th-place time of 24:13.7. Senior Karson Hollander registered a mark of 24:23.7 for 17th place, followed immediately by senior Cayde de Waal at 24:23.8 for 18th place.
Junior Will Gelon notched a time of 24:55.7 for 40th place, while sophomore Quinn Davis finished 42nd at 25:01.8. Senior Blake Oleson placed 43rd with his time of 25:02.0. Freshman Alex Rodriguez ran a time of 25:37.9 for 59th overall.
"We are proud of our top-two team performances by the men and women, which is the first time both have finished that high on the same day in many years," said Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Jeff Bovee. "We have two very deep rosters and we continue to see a rotation of runners contributing, and, today, we had big performances up front by Nora and Julian. Max was dialed in today and so was Astrid. So many ran all-time personal-best performances, and we can't wait to line up again in two weeks."
AWARD WINNERS
Women's All-MVC First Team
Women's Elite 18 Award
Men's All-MVC First Team
Men's All-MVC Second Team
MVC Freshman of the Year
MEN'S 8K RESULTS – 2nd Place (60 Points)
2. Julian Baker, 23:37.9 // 12. Max Weber, 24:09.5 (PR) // 13. Ethan Eichhorn, 24:13.7 // 17. Karson Hollander, 24:23.7 // 18. Cayde de Waal, 24:23.8 // 40. Will Gelon, 24:55.7 // 42. Quinn Davis, 25:01.8 // 43. Blake Oleson, 25:02.0 // 59. Alex Rodriguez, 25:37.9
WOMEN'S 6K RESULTS – 2nd Place (67 Points)
3. Nora Brady, 20:16.1 (PR) // 10. Pauline Schedler, 20:34.1 (PR) // 18. Becca Heitzig, 20:53.5 // 19. Johanna Ebert, 20:54.4 // 20. Astrid Van Breedam, 20:56.1 (PR) // 35. Cameron Crump, 21:32.0 (PR) // 36. Emily King, 21:32.7 (PR) // 60. Grace Erb, 22:19.5
UP NEXT
Illinois State will prepare for the NCAA Midwest Regional in Ames, Iowa, on Friday, November 13, beginning at 11 a.m.
For the latest updates on Illinois State Cross Country, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com, follow the Redbirds on X (@RedbirdTFXC) and Instagram (isuredbirdtfxc) and like the team on Facebook (Illinois State Track & Field/Cross Country).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds app: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos, and more.
