VALPARAISO, Ind. – The Indiana State Cross Country teams opened up their season at the Crusader Open on Friday evening where the women took second as a team and the men placed fourth.
 
Nationally ranked Notre Dame took home the victory on both the men's and women's side with 25 points and 22 points, respectively. On the women's side ISU placed second with 50 points, defeating IUPUI (71), Loyola (96) and Valparaiso (140). The men ended up finishing in fourth, tallying 100 points and defeating Valparaiso (110). Loyola (43) placed second and IUPUI (82) took third in the men's competition.
 
"The women were focused and executed very well," associate head coach Kyle Walsh said. "I believe this is as strong of a season debut as I can remember. We succumbed to a nationally ranked Notre Dame program but were able to hold some very strong teams. The experience group put together and excellent effort and I'm very pleased with the start of the season."
 
Redshirt senior Brooke Moore opened her final season of eligibility with an impressive performance, leading the blue and white with a fourth-place finish in the women's 5K race with a time of 17:43.60.
 
"Brooke looks mid-season form already, so she is setup for a great fifth-year senior season battling against national talent," Walsh said.
 
Following close behind Moore was redshirt sophomore Jocelyn Quiles. Quiles will be looking to make a bigger impact for the Trees this season and she started off strong on Friday, crossing the line in ninth with a time of 18:04.70, just two seconds outside of the Sycamore all-time top-25. Alli Workman also posted a top-10 finish for the Trees, staying with Quiles and taking the 10th position in the race at 18:06.80.
 
"Jocelyn and Alli worked closely together and moved well through the field, passing runners the entire way," Walsh said.
 
In perhaps one of the most impressive performances of the day, redshirt sophomore Tara Cassidy placed 15th with nearly a 50 second career-best in the 5K at 18:28.3. Her previous personal-best came at the 2018 Joe Piane Invitational where she clocked a time of 19:17.30. The last Sycamore to place in the top-25 was Michaela Ward who raced to a 22nd-place finish and time of 18:52.60.
 
"Tara put in an amazing summer of training and opens up the season with the best race of her life. Senior Michaela Ward rounded out our final scoring spot by bringing along her teammate Colleen Madden who ran her first collegiate race in over a year," Walsh said
 
On the men's side Nick Yeend was the clear leader for the blue and white, earning a sixth-place finish and clocking a time of 18:44.40.
 
"The men pieced together a partial squad, battling some sickness and minor injuries we are nursing. We will be working on getting healthy for the John McNichols Invitational in two weeks," Walsh said.
 
Sophomores Noah Hufnagel and Cale Kilian were the only other Indiana State men to earn top-25 finishes. Hufnagel took home a time of 19:10.60 en route to finishing in 16th while Kilian crossed the finish line in 20th and a time of 19:12.70.
 
"Three sophomores led our squad and Nick had the most outstanding finish of the field, passing over 20 runners for a top-10 finish," Walsh said. "Noah challenged the lead-pack early and was able to hang on for top-25 finish. Cale rested this week with sickness and fought tough for his team throughout."
 
Up next the blue and white get to return home on Sept. 21 when they host the John McNichols Invitational at the historic LaVern Gibson Championships Cross Country Course.
 
Men's Team Scores
1. #9 Notre Dame - 25
2. Loyola - 43
3. IUPUI - 82
4. Indiana State - 100
5. Valparaiso - 110
 
Women's Team Scores
1. #11 Notre Dame - 22
2. Indiana State - 50
3. IUPUI - 71
4. Loyola - 96
5. Valparaiso - 140
 
Men's Top-25 Finishes
6. Nick Yeend - 18:44.40
17. Noah Hufnagel - 19:10.6
20. Cale Kilian - 19:12.70
 
Women's Top-25 Finishes
4. Brooke Moore - 17:43.60
9. Jocelyn Quiles - 18:04.70
10. Alli Workman - 18:06.80
15. Tara Cassidy - 18:28.30
22. Michaela Ward - 18:52.60
 
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.