2019 Crusader Open
Date	Fri., Sept. 6
Location	Valparaiso, Ind. | Sunset Hill Farm County Park
Meet Info	Meet Notes | Meet Info | Start Lists
XC Records	Records
National Rankings	Top-25 Men | Top-25 Women | Men's Individual | Women's Individual
MVC Info	Preseason Poll | XC Home | Records | Men's Perf. List | Women's Perf. List
XC News	USTFCCCA | Track & Field News
Social Media	@IndStTrackField | @SycamoreTrack | @SycamoreTrack

VALPARAISO, Ind. – The Indiana State Men's and Women's Cross Country teams will open their season this Friday when they head to Valparaiso, Ind., for the Crusader Open.
 
Competition begins at 6 p.m. ET at Sunset Hill Farm County Park with the women's 5K race and the men will follow at 6:45 p.m. with their 6K race. Friday acts as a preview to the Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championship course, as Valparaiso hosts the championships in November.
 
Friday also marks the 31st running of the Crusader Open and the 26th-consecutive year that the event has opened the season.
 
AT THE STARTING LINE
Indiana State will head to northern Indiana for the opening meet of the 2019 Cross Country season. The Crusader Invitational will begin at 6 p.m. ET at Sunset Hill Farm. Last season the Notre Dame men and women claimed victory at the event. ISU will be joined by IUPUI, Loyola, Notre Dame and Valpo.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Indiana State will have no shortage of competition on Friday, with MVC-rivals Loyola and Valparaiso competing at the meet. Loyola was picked to finish third on the women's side in the Valley and fifth on the men's side. Reigning champions Notre Dame also join the fray, with the men ranked ninth nationally and the women 11th.
 
THE POWER OF FIVE
The Trees will have veteran leadership leading the way on both the men's and women's teams, with fifth-year seniors Ryan Cash and Brooke Moore returning. Cash is coming off of a stellar outdoor track and field season where he placed second in the steeplechase. Moore is the returning MVC runner-up in cross country and she captured the 1500-meter run title during outdoor season.
 
PLANTING SEEDS
The future is bright for both the men's and women's cross country teams. Youth will be a major theme for both, as the men boast nine freshmen and four sophomores out of their 15-man lineup, and the women have two freshmen and 12 sophomores.
 
TABBED FOURTH IN THE MVC
Both the Sycamore men and women were tabbed to finish fourth in the Missouri Val- ley Conference preseason coaches poll. The men gathered 54 points in the poll while Bradley was chosen as the favorite with all nine first place votes and 81 total points. The women tallied 65 points while the Bradley women were selected as the favorite with eight first place votes and 98 points.
 
A BALANCED ATTACK
Head coach Kyle Walsh has some help this season with the addition of new assistant coach, Billy Poole-Harris. Poole-Harris joined the Sycamores after previously serving as a volunteer assistant at Northern Illinois and before that, the head coach of Whitney M. Young High School.
 
HOME, SWEET HOME
The blue and white have the opportunity to host three home meets at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in 2019. Starting on Sept. 21, the Trees host the John McNichols Invitational, hosted in honor of legendary Sycamore head coach John McNichols. ISU will also host the 2019 Under Armour Pre-National Invitational on Oct. 19 before welcoming the NCAA Championships back to Terre Haute on Nov. 23.
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Cross Country and Track & Field teams, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.