TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Indiana State men's cross country team is making its sixth consecutive appearance in the Great Lakes Regional Rankings at No. 13 as announced by the USTFCCCA.
 
The USTFCCCA Regional Rankings are determined subjectively by a single member coach in each of the nine respective regions. The regional representative is tasked with weighing returning teams' strength with current season results (if applicable) in determining team finishing order at the upcoming NCAA Division I Regional Cross Country Championships.
 
This year the NCAA Regional Championships will be held on Friday, November 10 at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course.
 
After a strong team performance at the MVC Championships on Saturday, the men improved their position by one spot after spending the last week at No. 14. The Sycamores tied with Bradley for the MVC Championship, but ultimately fell in a tiebreaker, claiming MVC runner-up.
 
"The guys brought it. You could see it from the beginning, their minds were right and we put ourselves in the position," head coach Kyle Walsh said. "As we come into the 7K we're five points behind Bradley and give them credit, they brought it too. Our guys came roaring back that final kilometer. I've never seen an effort like that from this group, they saved it for today and brought it today."
 
Indiana State's men placed four individuals in the top-10 on the way to their runner-up finish. Seth Cousins led the way for the Sycamores, placing sixth at 25:03.10. Quentin Pierce finished just behind Cousins, crossing the line at 25:04.00 in eighth. Blake Kramer and Akis Medrano rounded out the top-10 for ISU, finishing in ninth and 10th, respectively. Kramer finished with a time of 25:06.10 and Medrano crossed the line at 25:07.40.
 
"Seth took a risk early and went out for it, which is difficult to do. The rest of our guys held on the pack and worked in there. As the pack caught Seth, he had a choice to make, stick in there and fight, and he did that. The rest of the guys worked together to get all four of those guys in the top 10," Walsh said.
 
Ryan Cash was the fifth scorer for the men, placing 16th at 25:34.80, which was a strong performance given that he faced a week of uncertainty leading up to the race.
 
"Give Cash credit for holding strong for that fifth spot, he rolled his ankle a few days ago and couldn't really run much, but brought it today to hold us together so we could tie for the championship," Walsh said. "The men realized this race was bigger than any one person on the team, and each of them ran with intensity, and I couldn't be more proud. Coach McNichols would be thrilled with their preparation and execution to push towards that conference championship. We gave everything we had and tip our hats to Bradley for winning the tie-breaker and earning the championship."
 
Both Sycamore cross country teams will be back in action on Nov. 10 at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, as they host the NCAA Great Lakes Regional beginning at 11:15 a.m. ET.
 
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.