TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Indiana State men's and women's cross country teams are looking to bring home some hardware this weekend as the Sycamores will compete at the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championships, hosted by Missouri State.
 
The men's team was picked to finish second this weekend, one spot higher than their third-place finish in 2016, while nabbing two first-place votes in the pre-championship poll. The women were picked fourth for the second consecutive season after finishing fourth one year ago. Both the Bradley men's and women's teams have been selected as the favorites to sweep the Valley for the third straight year.
 
"The men are right where we want to be heading into the MVC Championship," head coach Kyle Walsh said. "We know there's three or four teams fighting for the runner-up spot, and we feel confident that our best team race is yet to come. We can't control how well Bradley races because we know they're the strong favorites, but we will have them in our sights and put ourselves in position to challenge anyone."
 
Akis Medrano will be leading the ISU men, trying to improve upon his All-MVC performance from last year, where he finished seventh to lead the team at 24:58.9. The men are seeking their second-straight top-three team finish, as well as a team championship, after finishing in third last year with 84 points. The only teams that bested the Sycamores last year were Wichita State (82) and Bradley (24).
 
Coming into the conference meet, five Indiana State runners set personal-bests at the Pre-Nationals meet in Louisville, including Akis Medrano (24:29.8), Quentin Pierce (24:52.8), Blake Kramer (25:08.1), Ryan Cash (25:10.8) and Corey Alfredson (25:14.7).
 
"Our top-five all ran personal bests in Louisville and Seth will be back up with Akis and Quentin in Springfield, so we really like the look of our lineup and are feeling really good heading into the championship," Walsh said. "We've had the benefit of some faster courses than our opponents, so the best lists are a little misleading, but we know we're capable of putting our pack in the lead group."
 
Leading the way for the women will be senior Taylor Austin who finished 12th last year and earned All-MVC honors in 2015 while finishing in tenth. ISU placed fourth one year ago with 86 points, trailing only Wichita State (82), Bradley (64) and Northern Iowa (52). Predicted to finish fourth again this year, the women will look to mix things up and compete for a top-three finish.
 
"The women have momentum on our side after strong performances at Pre-Nationals. We are running our best heading into championship season and that's the mission through heavy summer training and working hard through early season. We are ready to continue our best performances of the season and we'll see where that stacks up versus the tough MVC. Bradley and UNI look extremely strong up front and there's a wide variety of us capable of that top-three finish," Walsh said.
 
Helping Austin will be sophomore Alli Workman and junior Megan Doty who both had their best races of their careers at Pre-Nats, crossing the line at 21:50.5 and 21:51.2, respectively. Michaela Ward (22:40.14) and Colleen Madden (22:48.6) also earned personal best times in Louisville.
 
"Our consistency up front has sustained us this season and I feel strongly that the cohort behind Taylor, Alli, and Meg are ready for big breakthroughs in Springfield," Walsh said. "This is an experienced group, and I'm really excited to see us put our pack in the mix and see if we can be tougher than ever before and continues to progress our team finishes at the MVC Championship."
 
Saturday's races will be held at the Springfield Underground in Springfield, Mo. The men's 8K will kick things off at 11:30 a.m. EST, followed by the women's 5K at 12:30 p.m. EST. Both races will be streamed live on ESPN3.
 
MVC Women's Pre-Championship Poll
 
Team (1st-Place Votes)       Points
1. Bradley (7)                       96
2. UNI (3)                             91
3. Loyola                             78
4. Indiana State                 67
5. Illinois State                     63
6. Missouri State                  47
7. Southern Illinois                42
8. Drake                              36
9. Evansville                        17
10. Valparaiso                     13
 
Women's 2017 MVC Best List (5K, Top-10)
 
Name                               School                    Time             Location
1. Jessica Allen                  Missouri State         17:06.70        Joplin, Mo.
2. Lindsey Brewis               Loyola                     17:17.10        Normal, Ill.
3. Taylor Austin                Indiana State          17:25.80       South Bend, Ind.
4. Hannah Truniger             Northern Iowa            17:32.80        South Bend, Ind.
5. Brette Correy                 Northern Iowa            17:39.80        South Bend, Ind.
6. Tiffany Christensen         Northern Iowa            17:39.90        South Bend, Ind.
7. Grace Breiten                 Missouri State          17:41.00        Fayetteville, Ark.
8. Megan Krolak                 Southern Illinois        17:48.00        South Bend, Ind.
9. Dakota Roman               Illinois State             17:48.06        Louisville, Ky.
10. McKayla Cole               Northern Iowa           17:49.10        South Bend, Ind.
 
Indiana State Women's Conference Roster
 
Name                     Season Best (5K)
1. Taylor Austin        17:25.80
2. Alli Workman        18:17.90
3. Megan Doty          18:26.10
4. Michaela Ward      18:41.30
5. Colleen Madden    18:42.20
6. Jessi Conley         18:46.50
7. Abigail Grider        18:50.80
8. Cami Hansen        19:40.90
 
MVC Men's Pre-Championship Poll
 
Team (1st-Place Votes)       Points
1. Bradley (7)                      79
2. Indiana State (2)            65
3. Loyola                            60
4. Illinois State                    56
5. Drake                             50
6. UNI                                37
7. Southern Illinois              31
8. Valparaiso                      14
9. Evansville                       13
 
Men's 2017 MVC Best List (8K, Top-10)
 
Name                               School                    Time             Location
1. Kyle Mattes                  Illinois State             24:29.58        Louisville, Ky.
2. Akis Medrano              Indiana State          24:29.80       Louisville, Ky.
3. Taylor Floyd Mews         Bradley                   24:34.00        Peoria, Ill.
4. Jake Hoffert                   Bradley                   24:34.10        Peoria, Ill.
5. Josh Maier                    Southern Illinois        24:40.00        Louisville, Ky.
6. Alex Baker                    Loyola                     24:44.40        Peoria, Ill.
7. Quentin Pierce            Indiana State          24:52.80       Louisville, Ky.
8. Seth Cousins               Indiana State          24:55.60       South Bend, Ind.
9. Blake Kramer              Indiana State          25:08.10       Louisville, Ky.
10. Ryan Cash                 Indiana State          25:10.80       Louisville, Ky.        
 
Indiana State Men's Conference Roster (times exclude 5-Mile race at Notre Dame)
 
Name                     Season Best (8K)
1. Akis Medrano       24:29.80
2. Quentin Pierce      24:52.80
3. Seth Cousins        25:55.60
4. Blake Kramer       25:08.10
5. Ryan Cash           25:10.80
6. Corey Alfredson    25:14.70
7. Isaac Bentz          26:13.40
8. Ryan Kritzer         26:38.50
9. Logan Hambrock   26:41.90
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Cross Country team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.