TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – It was a cold and windy day at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course for the Great Lakes Regional, but that didn't stop the Taylor Austin and the Sycamores from putting on several strong performances.
 
The Indiana State women finished 13th in the region with 376 points, edging out 18 other teams in the 6K. On the men's side, the Sycamores finished 18th with 448 points, defeating eight teams including conference rivals Valparaiso and Evansville.
 
"The women…that was fun. It had to be one of our best finishes in a few years," head coach Kyle Walsh said. "This is my third year with the group, and we've been trying to crack into that top-15, and I'm really happy today for them to step up and get 13th. As always, Taylor Austin leading the way. All-Region, seeing her up there versus five of the top programs in the nation, and she doesn't care what uniform you have one, she's going to battle with anyone in the nation."
 
Stealing the show and leading the women was senior Taylor Austin. She crossed the line in 20th place, her best performance at a Regional in her ISU career, earning All-Region honors. Her time of 21:00.40 is second all-time at Indiana State, falling just behind Jessica Crowder's time of 20:52 from 2003. Austin's previous personal-best was 21:03 in Wisconsin in 2015, and she has the highest Regional finish since Jessica Crowder finished 16th in 2003.
 
"We though top-25 was very reasonable, and if you have a great finish, top-15 isn't unreasonable. You might make the National Championship if you're in the top-15. Still now, she could make the National Championship, if you're in the top-25, it depends on how many teams qualify. If she's in, wow, to represent us would be awesome, but if not that was everything she had. She stuck it in there with the big dogs and she went for it. Watching her move through the race…that was impressive, it gave me chills thinking back because that's what you want. Someone that's willing to risk it all and throw it out there and pour their heart and soul into it. That's the way she's represented ISU for five years," Walsh said.
 
The chase pack behind Austin also ran their best races of the season. Alli Workman finished in 65th at 21:49.60, a new personal best for the sophomore. Behind Workman was Megan Doty, fighting for 83rd with a time of 22:10.80. Rounding out the top-100 for the Sycamores was Jessi Conley with a time 22:28.50, good enough for 97th and a personal-best. Continuing the personal-record theme was Colleen Madden, who finished 114th at 22:45.00. Michaela Ward trailed Madden, crossing the line at 22:54.30 in 127th and Abigail Grider came in 134th place at 23:01.30.
 
"The bigger story of the team was two through seven, the next six girls ran amazing," Walsh said. "They ran the best race of the season, and we said all along that we wanted to run the best race of the season here. It's coming along, Taylor is the only one we lose, and that's a hard spot to fill because she's been such a solid rock for this program for five years. To see her go out on her home course with the best race of her life and miss the school record by a couple seconds, she's not hanging her head at all. Her teammates were feisty, were gutsy and didn't fade in the middle, so I'm pretty happy with all of the ladies."
 
The Sycamore men faced a high level of competition on Friday, finishing in 18th as a team. Junior Akis Medrano led the way for the men, racing across the finish line in 57th at 32:15.10. Behind Medrano was Seth Cousins who once again found himself in the top-two for the Sycamore men, coming in 69th with a time of 32:26.80.
 
"It wasn't a good race and it doesn't represent our season as a whole. The emotions of being out here without Coach McNichols for the first time at a Regional meet, I know that was weighing on their minds and they wanted it so bad. They stuck themselves in there for the first 3K and 4K, and their hearts were in the right place, it just fell apart in the middle. We'll be pretty upset with the team result at the end of the day. It doesn't take away from the great accomplishments this season. Our whole lineup comes back next year, so we're excited about that," Walsh said.
 
Freshman Isaac Bentz stepped up in a big way for the men, coming in as the third scorer for Indiana State in his first 10K. He crossed the line at 97th and a time of 33:05.20, rounding out the top-100 for ISU.
 
"Isaac Bentz, the 800-meter specialist, steps up to the 10K and helps the team hugely today, running number three for us. When his teammates aren't having their best day, he's going to have his best day, and that's what you need on a team," Walsh said.

Quentin Pierce and Ryan Cash were the next two across the line, finishing in 112th and 116th, respectively, with times of 33:22.80 and 33:26.60. Blake Kramer and Corey Alfredson were the last two Sycamores to cross the finish line, coming in 140th and 163rd. Their times were 34:06.90 and 35:02.30.
 
Michigan State took home the men's championship this year, defeating Michigan by only 11 points. Conversely, the Michigan women took home the championship by edging Michigan State by a margin of 71-87. Wisconsin took home third in both the men's and women's races.
 
While the Sycamore's cross country season is over, Taylor Austin will be waiting to find out if she has qualified for the NCAA Championships next weekend. The NCAA Championships will be run at Louisville in Tom Sawyer State Park on Nov. 18.
 
Indiana State Women's Team Results:
20. Taylor Austin - 21.00.40 - All-Region (PR)
65. Alli Workman - 21:49.60 (PR)
83. Megan Doty - 22:10.80
97. Jessi Conley - 22:28.50 (PR)
114. Colleen Madden - 22:45.00 (PR)
127. Michaela Ward - 22:54.30
134. Abigail Grider - 23:01.30
 
Indiana State Men's Team Results:
57. Akis Medrano - 32:15.10
69. Seth Cousins - 32:26.80
97. Isaac Bentz - 33:05.20
112. Quentin Pierce - 33:22.80
116. Ryan Cash - 33:26.60
140. Blake Kramer - 34:06.90
163. Corey Alfredson - 35:02.30
 
Men's Team Results (Top-15):
1. Michigan State - 68
2. Michigan - 79
3. Wisconsin - 84
4. Eastern Michigan - 113
5. Purdue - 136
6. Indiana - 178
7. Butler - 181
8. Dayton - 230
9. Notre Dame - 239
10. Miami (OH) - 305
11. Oakland - 315
12. Ohio - 368
13. Akron - 379
14. Marquette - 397
15. Ohio State - 398
 
Women's Team Results (Top-15):
1. Michigan - 71
2. Michigan State - 87
3. Wisconsin - 93
4. Eastern Michigan - 146
5. Indiana - 148
6. Notre Dame - 188
7. Ohio State - 189
8. Dayton - 249
9. Toledo - 251
10. Purdue - 319
11. Miami (OH) - 322
12. Marquette - 351
13. Indiana State - 376
14. Xavier - 388
15. Oakland - 395
 
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.