TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Senior Akis Medrano led the way for Sycamore Cross Country on a cold and rainy Friday at the Great Lakes Regional with an All-Region performance in the men's 10K race.
 
The Indiana State women placed 19th in the 6K race with 516 points, edging out 13 other teams in the region while the men earned a 17th place finish with 492 points and defeated 12 regional teams. The Michigan women claimed the regional crown for the seventh time in eight years and Wisconsin claimed the title on the men's side.
 
"Both teams fell short of our goal today and that's a reflection of the coach," Associate Head Coach for Cross Country Kyle Walsh said. "I didn't have us ready as a unit and we were not nearly tough enough in the middle parts of the race. We got out poorly and didn't move up like we needed to. I've got to do a better job mentally preparing us tor race the level of our fitness."
 
Akis Medrano ran an incredible race for the Sycamores with his strongest performance at a regional meet in his career. The Boswell, Ind.-native battled with some of the nation's best athletes and climbed through the standings, as he found himself in 63rd through 3K and ended in 14th overall with a personal-best and 15th-fastest 10K time in school history of 31:27.40. If Purdue and Indiana earn team at-large bids to the NCAA Championships, Medrano will earn a spot in the NCAA Championships as well. Sophomore Cam Trout stuck with the chase pack early, recording a placement of 32nd through 3K, but ended up as the second runner for ISU in 113th place at 33:11.50.
 
"Akis stole the show for the Sycamores and did exactly what he needed to do," Walsh said. "Earning All-Region honors is extremely difficult in this Great Lakes Region and I'm so proud he got it done. John Mascari is a huge role model for Akis and he wanted to be the first Sycamores since John to place top-25 at the NCAA Regional. He was in great position throughout the first five kilometers and the race really started to move between seven and eight kilometers. Unfortunately for Akis, he took a spill and landed on all fours. He immediately got up and locked back in mentally, moving through the pack. He had an amazing finish to move into the top-15 and now we play the waiting game. He did everything he could and ran the best cross country race of his life and we are extremely excited. We are hopeful he'll be one of the individual qualifiers once the team scoring around the nation concludes."
 
Following closely behind Trout was Isaac Bentz, the 800-meter run specialist in track and field, who placed 114th with a time of 33:12.20. The fourth scorer for the blue and white was freshman Noah Hufnagel who clocked a time of 33:14.60 for 117th place in his first ever Great Lakes Regional. Youth continued to shine for ISU, as freshman Nick Yeend rounded out the Sycamore scorers with a time of 33:35.90 for the 134th position.
 
On the women's side, Indiana State posted two top-100 finishes in the 6K race. Redshirt junior Brooke Moore clocked the top time of the day for the women, finishing 42nd overall with a time of 21:25.50. Finding herself in 46th with 1K remaining in the race, Moore made a push at the end to take back four spots and earn her 42nd place finish. After earning All-MVC Honorable Mention two weeks ago, Alli Workman raced to a 72nd place overall finish on Friday with a respectable time of 22:06.20.
 
"I'm really proud of the way Brooke stuck her neck out there and put herself in position for a top-25 finish. After a school-record performance at the MVC Championships, she hasn't been able to train much with a knee issue, but stepped up and gave her all for her team today. She has a senior season of track ahead of her plus she'll be back here next year for her senior cross country season," Walsh said.
 
Fifth-year senior Jessi Conley ran third for the trees at regionals, finishing just outside of the top-100 in 109th while recording a time of 22:35.50. Concluding a solid freshman campaign, Jocelyn Quiles took the fourth scoring spot for the Sycamores by finishing at 23:07.40 in 142nd place. The fifth and final scoring spot for the women came from Megan Doty, who scored in her last collegiate cross country meet with a time of 23:16.30, good for 151st.
 
"Alli Workman is always a gamer and put together a solid race to end her junior season," Walsh said. "I've got to do a better job developing the rest of our team to be able to pack together with her and make our team competitive in the region."
 
It's now a waiting game for Akis Medrano, as the NCAA will announce at-large athletes who will compete at the NCAA Championships on Saturday at 5 p.m. The NCAA Championships will be hosted by Wisconsin and held at the Zimmer Championship Course.
 
"We will miss Akis', Jessi's and Megan's performances and leadership next cross country season. Everyone else that competed returns to the squad next year and we have several who redshirted that will make a big impact. I feel like we will be a very different looking team next fall and return to the level we expect of ourselves in the team scoring," Walsh said.
 
Indiana State Women's Team Results
42. Brooke Moore - 21:25.50
72. Alli Workman - 22:06.20
109. Jessi Conley - 22:35.50
142. Jocelyn Quiles - 23:07.40
151. Megan Doty - 23:16.30
163. Michaela Ward - 23:22.20
180. Tara Cassidy - 23:52.70
 
Indiana State Men's Team Results
14. Akis Medrano - 31:27.40
113. Cam Trout - 33:11.50
114. Isaac Bentz - 33:12.20
117. Noah Hufnagel - 33:14.60
134. Nick Yeend - 33:35.90
159. Ryan Cash - 34:26.50
171. Cale Kilian - 34:55.00
 
Women's Team Results (Top-15)
1. Michigan - 46
2. Wisconsin - 82
3. Michigan State - 89
4. Notre Dame - 100
5. Indiana - 137
6. Eastern Michigan - 231
7. Ohio State - 265
8. Purdue - 280
9. Toledo - 297
10. Butler - 316
11. Miami (OH) - 351
12. Dayton - 396
13. Xavier - 412
14. Western Michigan - 450
15. Bowling Green - 461
 
Men's Team Results (Top-15)
1. Wisconsin - 49
2. Notre Dame - 91
3. Michigan - 109
4. Purdue - 121
5. Indiana - 124
6. Michigan State - 173
7. Butler - 234
8. Dayton - 243
9. Miami (OH) - 275
10. Bowling Green - 314
11. Youngstown State - 396
12. Cincinnati - 403
13. Central Michigan - 407
14. Akron - 431
15. Marquette - 455
 
 
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.