PEORIA, Ill. - It's championship weekend for the Missouri Valley Conference in cross country and both Sycamore cross country teams will be looking to bring home some hardware at the MVC Championships on Saturday, which will be hosted by Bradley.
 
The men's team was picked to finish third this weekend in the pre-championship poll after tying for first and ultimately taking second in 2017. The women were also tabbed to finish third in the conference, one spot higher than their fourth place finish at the 2017 championships. Both the Bradley men's and women's teams have been selected as the favorites to sweep the Valley for the fourth straight year.
 
"We are excited to head to Peoria for the MVC Championships," Associate Head Coach for Cross Country Kyle Walsh said. "The team is feeling confident that we're ready to put together our best performance yet. This is our favorite race of the season and we know the team races will be very tight." 
Senior Akis Medrano will look to lead the Sycamores this weekend while trying to earn his first individual Valley championship. In 2017, Medrano earned All-MVC honors with a 10th place finish and a time of 25:07.40. He also earned All-MVC honors in 2016 behind a seventh place performance and a time of 24:58.90. The men are seeking their third-straight top-three team finish, as well as a team championship, after finishing in second last year with 49 points. Only Bradley bested ISU, also earning 49 points, but claiming the tiebreaker.
 
"Coming off winning the 10K MVC Championship in the spring, Akis is looking to challenge for his first individual cross country title. He's been All-MVC the past two years and will be in a battle with the four-to-five MVC front runners on Saturday," Walsh said.  
Seven of the eight Indiana State men competing at the championships on Saturday ran either a season or personal-best race at the Pre-National Invitational in Wisconsin two weeks ago. It is also important to note that four of the eight athletes on the men's side are freshmen.
 
"The rest of our men have been very interchangeable in our lineup and this group will determine our team finishing score," Walsh said. "Cam Trout and Nick Yeend have consistently led our squad behind Akis and will pack together with teammates mixing up with the MVC chase pack. If we all put it together Saturday, our depth can make us a dangerous team.  Four of our eight entrants are freshman gaining great experience and they are fit enough to help us right away."
 
Redshirt junior Brooke Moore will lead the blue and white on the women's side after redshirting during the 2017 season. The Elkhart, Ind.-native owns the top 5K time on the team and second-best time in the conference of 17:33.03 from the Joe Piane Invitational. As a sophomore in 2016, Moore earned All-MVC honors with a third place finish and a final time of 17:38.40.
 
"Brooke Moore has had a strong fall returning as our front runner after redshirting last cross country season and will push with the top MVC runners Saturday. She is attempting to return to All-MVC status and will set the tone for the team heading into Saturday," Walsh said.
 
Junior Alli Workman and Jocelyn Quiles also own top-10 5K times in the Valley, with both running personal bests of 18:05.20 and 18:08.42, respectively, at the Joe Piane Invitational. In total, seven of the nine Sycamore women competing at conference ran season or personal-bests at the Joe Piane Invitational.
 
"The women are picked third by the MVC coaches and we feel confident that we have the experience and depth to make that happen. It will be extremely tight between second and sixth place. 2003 was the last time we placed top-three at the MVC meet and we are hungry to make that a reality. Alli Workman has been honorable mention All-MVC previously and has been a strong staple for our program. She will continue to work with teammates Jocelyn Quiles, Michaela Ward and Jessi Conley to battle the MVC chase pack on Saturday. This group packed together will make us very strong," Walsh said.
 
Saturday's races will be held at the Newman Golf Course in Peoria, Ill. The women's 5K will kick things off at 11:30 a.m. EST, followed by the men's 8K at 12:30 p.m. EST. Both races will be streamed live on ESPN3.

Women's Pre-Championship Poll
Team (FPV)                      Points
1. Bradley (10)                  100
2. Loyola                            86
3. Indiana State                76
4. UNI                                 68
5. Illinois State                64
6. Missouri State            56
7. Southern Illinois         40
8. Drake                           30
9. Valparaiso                  17
10. Evansville                 13
 
Men's Pre-Championship Poll
Team (FPV)                      Points
1. Bradley (8)                  80
2. Illinois State                71
3. Indiana State              57
4. Drake                           54
T5. Loyola (1)                   38
T5. UNI                              38
T7. Southern Illinois        29
T7. Valparaiso                  29
9. Evansville                     9
 
Women's Conference Roster
Name                     Season Best (5K)
1. Brooke Moore      17:33.03
2. Alli Workman       18:05.15
3. Jocelyn Quiles     18:08.42
4. Michaela Ward     18:16.60
5. Jessi Conley        18:40.17
6. Megan Doty         18:58.90
7. Devon Zeck          19:10.64
8. Tara Cassidy        19:17.30
9. Cami Hansen        19:27.30
 
Men's Conference Roster
Name                     Season Best (8K) - Not Including Joe Piane Invite
1. Akis Medrano       24:36.00
2. Nick Yeend          25:56.30
3. Ryan Cash           25:57.40
4. Cam Trout            25:58.40
5. Isaac Bentz          25:59.80
6. Noah Hufnagel     26:10.50
7. Cale Kilian            26:20.40
8. Ben Payton          26:29.80
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Cross Country teams, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.