MADISON, Wis. - It was a cold and snowy day in Madison, Wis., but that didn't stop Indiana State senior Akis Medrano from battling the nation's best athletes at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
 
The Boswell, Ind.-native went out hard with the pack and stuck with the group through the first mile. Coming through the first 2K, Medrano found himself just outside of the top-100, but still very much in the thick of the race in 124th. Despite a slick course covered in slush, he never quit and ended the race in the 191st position, taking down 64 national-caliber athletes with a time of 31:30.60.
 
"Being here at this National Championship meet, I just have so many emotions coming through, Medrano said. "I'm so excited being here, between the atmosphere, the competition, the people that came here and the way everything was setup, it felt great being here. What I take overall is just that this was a wonderful experience and it's going to help me push my limits in indoor and outdoor track. I'd call it a good day in the office for a first national race, and I'm just going to carry that experience with me."
 
Notably, Medrano's placement put him in front of Arkansas', Florida State's, Iona's, Oklahoma State's ,Purdue's, Southern Utah's, Texas', Tulsa's and Villanova's fifth scorers. He also bested five of Purdue's seven athletes.
 
"What an experience, Akis took it all in. He got out well, but you can't simulate this in any other fashion," Associate Head Coach for Cross Country Kyle Walsh said. "I'm proud of him, as he spent the last three days hacking up, but he stayed positive and stayed excited about it and didn't let it get him down, and he went out and battled with some guys. Around the mile there were a lot of BYU guys around him, and they ended up second in the nation, so he gave it his all. I never doubt his willingness to prepare, mentally and physically, and his willingness to get out and compete. He's the kind of person who deserves to be here and get this experience."
 
Originally a walk-on for the Sycamores, Medrano worked his way up to be one of ten Sycamore athletes to compete at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, joining Sycamore greats Charlie Warthan (1970, 1971), Kyle Hobbs (1991), Debbi Ramseyer (1992, 1993), Jason Gunn (1999, 2000), Jessica Crowder (2003), Justin Kunz (2006), Scott Keeney (2008), Eric Schulz (2009) and John Mascari (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015).
 
"At the end of the day, he was fit and could've placed a little bit higher if he had a little more experience at this level ahead of time. Being a senior and getting here for the first time, what an honor, and he represented us well all weekend. He wanted to go out and battle for the Sycamores and he was making everyone back at home proud. Heading into senior track season, it will be the best on yet. I'm proud of him and glad he got this experience," Walsh said.
 
The NCAA Cross Country Championships make their way back to Terre Haute next year, as Indiana State will host the Pre-National and National meet at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in 2019.
 
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.