TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -  After starting the 2018 season on the road, both Sycamore cross country teams return home to host the 2018 John McNichols Invitational this Saturday morning at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course. The event begins with the men's 8K race at 9:00 a.m. ET, with the women's 5K race to follow at 9:30 a.m.
 
John McNichols, the longest tenured head coach in Indiana State history, won 38 total team titles and coached 15 NCAA Champions, 10 NCAA Runners-Up, 113 All-Americans and 464 MVC Champions among many other noteworthy accomplishments -- including the designing and development of both the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course (site of 12 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships) and the Gibson Track & Field Complex.
 
The men's race will feature 14 schools including the host Sycamores who are ranked 11th in the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region rankings and were picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley conference. During their last outing the Sycamores took home second place at the Miami Opener, defeating Miami (OH) and falling to Indiana.
 
Akis Medrano led the way for the Sycamore men at Miami, taking third overall and first among attached athletes in the 8K race with a time of 25:34.30, just one second behind the second place finisher. Medrano wasn't the only Sycamore to race well, as Cam Trout ran an impressive race in his cross country debut, taking 15th place by crossing the line at 25:58.40. Sophomore Isaac Bentz closed the race right behind his teammate, placing 16th at 26:00.70. Freshman Nick Yeend and Cale Kilian also scored for ISU, placing 20th and 32nd, respectively.
 
Joining the Sycamores at the John McNichols Invitational are ranked Great Lakes Region teams Purdue (sixth), Butler (seventh) and Bowling Green (13th), as well as Akron, Cincinnati, DePauw, Indianapolis, Marshall, Milwaukee, Northern Kentucky, Rose-Hulman, Vincennes and Wabash.
 
On the women's side, Indiana State is also ranked 11th in the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region rankings and was picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Conference. At the Miami Opener, ISU picked up a third place finish, falling to Miami (OH) and Indiana.
 
Leading the way for the Sycamore women was the junior Colleen Madden, who recorded a time of 22:50.80 en route to a 16th place finish. Jocelyn Quiles and Michaela Ward finished right behind Madden to complete the Indiana State trio, with Quiles finishing in 17th at 22:54.80 and Ward taking 18th with a time of 22:57.50.
 
Rounding out the Sycamore scorers for the women were Alli Workman and Tara Cassidy. Workman took the 23rd overall position with a 6K time of 23:20.30 and Cassidy, a freshman, clocked a time of 23:59.30 for a 26th place finish.
 
Much like the men's race, the women won't be the only regionally ranked team at the meet on Saturday. Purdue enters the meet ranked eighth in the Great Lakes Region, while Northern Illinois is ranked 11th in the Midwest Region. In addition to the regionally ranked teams, nine other programs will compete including Akron, Butler, Cincinnati, DePauw, Indianapolis, Marshall, Milwaukee, Northern Kentucky and Rose-Hulman.
 
The meet begins at 9:00 a.m. ET with the men's 8K race and will be followed up by the women's 5K race at 9:30 a.m.
 
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.