PEORIA, Ill. - Both Indiana State Cross Country teams earned fourth place finishes at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships on a sunny day behind All-Conference performances from Brooke Moore and Akis Medrano.
 
The Sycamore men finished in fourth with 114 points, overtaking Southern Illinois (136), Northern Iowa (136), Valparaiso (146), Loyola (153) and Evansville (284). Fourth place was where the women landed as well, defeating Northern Iowa (111), Missouri State (139), Southern Illinois (163), Drake (207), Evansville (232) and Valparaiso (267). For the second consecutive season, Bradley won both the men's and women's races.
 
"Brooke Moore and Akis Medrano were huge highlights for us today at the MVC Championships," Associate Head Coach for Cross Country Kyle Walsh said. "Both earned their third All-MVC honor and represented the Sycamores very well and I'm extremely proud of them. These two competed with the best of the Missouri Valley and most definitely made Sycamore Nation proud. Next they will take on the Great Lakes Regional and attempt to punch a ticket to the NCAA Championship."
 
Continuing the with the trend of the season, senior Akis Medrano led the ISU men with a third place finish and the third-best 8K time in school history of 24:06.30, just one second away from the second overall time in ISU history. Cam Trout was the next finisher for the men, finishing just outside of Honorable Mention All-MVC contention with a time of 25:07.00, a big personal-best for the sophomore.
 
"Akis had an incredible battle with a deep field of front runners and ran a massive PR to place third. Only Sycamores John Mascari and Al Escalera have run faster and both of those alumni have been strong mentors for Akis. This was by far Akis' best cross country of his career and it came at a great time for him and the team" Walsh said.
 
Two freshmen ran in the third and fourth scoring spots for the blue and white, with Nick Yeend clocking a time of 25:15.50 in 24th, also a big career-best time. Noah Hufnagel took 34th overall with a time of 25:45.90, just .7 away from his personal-best. The fifth and final scorer for the men was Isaac Bentz who crossed the finish line in 39th place and a time of 25:55.40, which is an 8K personal-best.
 
"In the men's race, five of our eight competitors got a taste of the intense Missouri Valley Championship meet for the first time," Walsh said. "We lined up four freshmen and I couldn't be more proud of their effort. Our four scorers after Akis were two freshmen and two sophomores, so we didn't have a ton of experience up front that you like to see in a meet of this caliber. Cam and Nick have been so consistent for us this season and both had their best races of the season today. It wasn't quite what we wanted, so we leave MVC with a bitter taste in our mouths, but return every man on the roster next year except for Akis. I look for this group to bounce back at the NCAA Regional for our season finale team race."
 
It was a school-record day for Brooke Moore on the women's side, as she tied the 5K school-record with an impressive time of 17:09.80, which boosted her to an MVC runner-up finish. Junior Alli Workman earned All-MVC Honorable Mention honor with a 14th place finish and a final time of 17:53.50 which is the 16th-best time in Sycamore history.
 
"In the women's race, we really wanted to get over the hump and jump into a top-three finish, but fell just short. This fourth place feels much different than last year and I'm extremely proud of the way they got out and fought for position. Illinois State was better than us today and that's a tough one to take," Walsh said.
 
Running third for the Indiana State women was Michaela Ward. Ward ran the best race of her career, racing across the line with a time of 18:06.50. Freshman Jocelyn Quiles was the fourth runner for the blue and white, claiming the 29th spot at 18:24.00. Running in the fifth spot for the women was senior Jessi Conley who clocked a time of 18:47.30.
 
"Alli returned to Honorable Mention All-MVC with a personal-best time and great race," Walsh said. "She's been a steady competitor for us three years in a row and a huge part of this program. It's so impressive to see how much Michaela and Jocelyn have grown as runners over the past year and all three of these women return with Brooke, so we have a strong future ahead. Jessi rounded out our scoring, wrapping up her final MVC cross country race with a competitive effort. Both she and fellow senior Megan Doty will be instrumental in our success in two weeks."
 
The Sycamores will be back in action in two weeks when they host the NCAA Great Lakes Regional at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course on Nov. 9.
 
"This is a better team than last year's 12th place finish at the NCAA Regional meet, so we are excited to race at home on LaVern Gibson for our season finale."
 
Men's Team Results
1. Bradley - 40
2. Illinois State - 71
3. Drake - 93
4. Indiana State - 114
5. UNI - 136
6. Southern Illinois - 136
7. Valparaiso - 146
8. Loyola - 153
9. Evansville - 284
 
Women's Team Results
1. Bradley - 51
2. Loyola - 75
3. Illinois State - 85
4. Indiana State - 107
5. UNI - 111
6. Missouri State - 139
7. Southern Illinois - 163
8. Drake - 207
9. Evansville - 232
10. Valparaiso - 267
 
Men's All-MVC Honorees
1. Josh Maier - Southern Illinois, 23:57.30
2. Michael Ward - Bradley, 24:04.70
3. Akis Medrano - Indiana State, 24:06.30
4. Kyle Mattes - Illinois State, 24:07.90
5. Cody Baele, Illinois State, 24:17.90
6. Haran Dunderdale - Bradley, 24:21.50
7. Alexander Bruno - Valparaiso, 24:23.40
8. Wal Khat - Northern Iowa - 24:24.20
9. Jake Hoffert - Bradley, 24:33.50
10. Joshua Yeager - Drake, 24:35.70
 
Women's All-MVC Honorees
1. Lindsey Brewis - Loyola, 16:57.80
2. Brooke Moore - Indiana State, 17:09.80
3. Gabby Juarez - Bradley, 17:17.90
4. Tyler Schwartz - Bradley, 17:19.70
5. Grace Breiten - Missouri State, 17:21.60
6. Claire Hengesbaugh - Loyola, 17:29.60
7. Mimi Reimers - Loyola, 17:33.00
8. Rachel Hickey - Illinois State, 17:37.30
9. Audrey Janik - Illinois State, 17:38.00
10. Ayah Aldadah - 17:38.10
 
Indiana State Men's Individual Results
3. Akis Medrano - 24:06.30
16. Cam Trout - 25:07.00
24. Nick Yeend - 25:15.50
34. Noah Hufnagel - 25:45.90
39. Isaac Bentz - 25:55.40
44. Cale Kilian - 26:10.90
52. Ben Payton - 26:26.90
56. Ryan Cash - 26:48.60
 
Indiana State Women's Individual Results
2. Brooke Moore - 17:09.80
14. Alli Workman - 17:53.50
21. Michaela Ward - 18:06.50
29. Jocelyn Quiles - 18:24.00
42. Jessi Conley - 18:47.30
46. Megan Doty - 18:52.60
48. Tara Cassidy - 18:56.30
52. Devon Zeck - 19:02.90
 
 
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.