TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State cross country plays host to the 2022 NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship Friday morning at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course.
The women's 6k race is slated to begin at 10 a.m., with the men's 10k race to follow at 11 a.m. Following the completion of both races, an awards presentation will take place.
Who's in the Field?
The Sycamores will be joined by Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Butler, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Cleveland State, Dayton, Detroit Mercy, Eastern Michigan, Evansville, Green Bay, Indiana, IUPUI, Kent State, Marquette, Miami (Ohio), Michigan State, Milwaukee, Notre Dame, Oakland, Ohio, Ohio State, Purdue, Purdue Fort Wayne, Southern Indiana, Toledo, Valparaiso, Western Michigan, Wisconsin, Wright State, Xavier and Youngstown State.
Teams to Watch
Wisconsin enters as the top team on the men's side, as the Badgers are currently ranked eighth in the most recent coaches' poll. Also among the top 30 teams in the nation from the Great Lakes Region are Notre Dame (13th) and Michigan (28th).
Notre Dame has the top-ranked women's team in the field, as the Fighting Irish enter the regionals at No. 5 in the nation. Five additional teams rank in the top 25, with Toledo (17th), Michigan State (19th), Michigan (21st), Wisconsin (22nd) and Ohio State (25th) all among the nation's best.
Last Time Out
Indiana State sophomore
Cael Light earned honorable mention All-MVC honors, leading the Sycamores at the 2022 Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championships at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course.
Light placed 12th with a career-best 8k time of 24:57.4, becoming the first Sycamore to earn men's all-conference honors since 2018.
Erica Barker had the best time among the Sycamore women in the 6k, finishing 24th with a time of 22:22.9.
Home Sweet Home
One advantage the Sycamores will have over the field is familiarity, as the Trees use LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country course for practices and home meets during the season.
Teams were able to practice at the course Thursday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Who to Watch
On the men's side, Indiana State has a trio of runners who have cracked the top 15 in program history in the 8k this season.
Jackson Krieg leads the way for the Blue and White, as his top time this season of 24:22.0 ranks sixth in school history.
Logan Pietrzak is ninth in program history at 24:24.0, while
Jason Dworak's season-best time of 24:35.7 put him 15th in Indiana State history.
Cael Light ran a career-best time of 24:57.4 to earn all-conference honors this season.
On the women's side,
Erica Barker leads the charge for the Sycamores, as her top 6k time of 21:46.2 ranks ninth in program history.
Morgan Dyer (18:55.1) and
Chloe Loftus (19:14.0) have both ran their top 5k times this season, while freshman
Sara Skaff has consistently been among the Sycamores' top three runners this year.
