TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- With just over one week to go before the 2017 John McNichols Invitational at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in eastern Vigo County, both the Indiana State men's and women's cross country teams were ranked in the USTFCCA Preseason Regional Rankings as announced this week by the coaches association.
In the extremely tough Great Lakes Region, the Sycamore men are ranked No. 12 while the women are ranked No. 14. The USTFCCA Regional Rankings are determined subjectively by a single member coach in each respective region. The regional representative is tasked with weighing returning teams' strength with current season results (if applicable) in determining predicted team finishes at the NCAA Regional Championships.
The Indiana State program will host the NCAA Great Lakes Region Meet on November 10 at the Gibson Championship Cross Country Course.
The Sycamore men are led by
Kyle Walsh who is in his first season leading the program as he takes over the reigns from Indiana State legend John McNichols. Indiana State opens the season ranked as the No. 12 team in the region after a fantastic ninth place finish in the Great Lakes Regional last year which represented a significant jump from their predicted ranking of 15th. The Sycamores placed four runners in the Top 60 including returnees
Akis Medrano (38th, 31:29.9),
Seth Cousins (49th, 31:42.7) and
Quentin Pierce (60th, 41:58.3). The Sycamore men were picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll.
"Coach McNichols lead our men's team to peak well for the NCAA Regional placing ninth last fall," Walsh said. "We are picked 12th heading into this season while looking to replace our track All-American David Timlin and strong fifth runner Daniel Swem. We return All-MVC athlete Akis Medrano as well as solid returners sophomore Seth Cousins and junior Quentin Pierce. The Great Lakes Region is historically strong but we will gear our training to make a push for another top 10 finish and look to surprise some teams in November."
On the women's side, coach Walsh is in his third season at the helm of the program and the team enters the season ranked No. 14 in the Great Lakes Region. The women finished 16th in the region last year with a team score of 387 which was the program's best score since 2001. Leading the way in the Great Lakes Region meet was All-MVC honoree and sophomore Brooke Moore. The Elkhart, Ind., native put together a 21:10.2 time in the 6K race to finish 43rd overall – the third-fastest 6K in school history. Junior Taylor Austin, who finished All-Great Lakes in 2015, finished 67th at 21:34.4. Freshman Alli Workman concluded a strong first season with the Sycamores with an 82nd-place finish at 21:53.2, followed not far off by sophomores Megan Doty in 92nd at 22:02.9 and Taylor Rogers in 103rd at 22:15.5.
The Sycamore women were also picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll.?
"In 2016, our women's team posted their best team score since 2001 and finished 16th," coach Walsh commented. "We return our entire varsity roster so we anticipate our 14th place ranking is fairly accurate based on upon our fitness and a top 15 finish is well within our reach. Fifth-year senior Taylor Austin is coming off of her NCAA qualifying steeplechase season and will lead our team to close the gap on a top 10 regional finish for the first time in school history. Junior Brooke Moore is returning from her record breaking sophomore seasons and will work alongside Taylor to give us a strong duo up front. Alli Workman was honorable mention All-MVC as a freshman and will play a large role in our success during her sophomore campaign."
The 2017 John McNichols Invitational is set for Saturday, September 9 at the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course. The women's 5k race will begin at 9:30 am (ET) while the men's 8k race begins at 10:00 a.m. In the afternoon, the John McNichols Golf Outing and Wine and Canvas fundraiser is set at Hulman Links Golf Course. Lunch begins at Noon with the golf and painting set for 1:00 pm (ET). To register for the event, please click here.
