TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State cross country competes in its final meet before the MVC Championships Friday afternoon when it takes part in the Bradley Pink Classic in Peoria, Illinois.
The men's 8k race will run at 4 p.m., with the women's 6k to follow at 4:45 p.m.
Last Time Out
Emma Gresham broke her second school record of the season, recording the fastest 5k time in program history at the Joe Piane Invitational. Gresham's time of 16:58.6 broke the previous school record by 11 seconds, and placed her second overall in the field. Indiana State finished first on the women's side and fourth on the men's side in the gold division, marking the Sycamores' second first-place team finish this year.
Erica Barker followed Gresham with a time of 17:09.1 to finish third, with her time equaling the previous program record in the event.
Peyton Smith clocked a time of 17:32.8 to finish 12th, and also moved into the top 20 in program history in the process.
Brittney Burak (17:59.9) and
Morgan Dyer (18:03.4) rounded out the Sycamores' scorers, with both also placing in the top 40 in the field.
Emerson Fayman paced the Sycamore men with his time of 24:46.4 placing him inside the top 30.
Layton Hall (24:53.6),
Jason Dworak (25:04.1) and
Ryan York (25:08.7) all recorded top-50 finishes, while
Ryan Handy (25:27.4) rounded out the scorers for Indiana State.
Ian Gadberry and
Jcim Grant ran respective times of 25:29.9 and 25:39.3 to close out the Sycamores' top seven, with
Isaac Bryant (25:40.1) rounding out the Trees' lineup.
Conference Preview
Friday's meet will be an indicator of where the Sycamores stand heading into the 2024 MVC Cross Country Championships. Indiana State is one of eight MVC schools competing at the Bradley Pink Classic.
Among conference schools, the Sycamores will be joined by host institution Bradley, Drake, Illinois State, Missouri State (women only), Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois and UIC.
In addition, there are also multiple regionally and nationally ranked schools featured, with the likes of Butler, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri and Notre Dame slated to compete in Peoria.
Record Setter
Indiana State sophomore
Emma Gresham has already broken a pair of program records this season, running the fastest 4k and 5k times in program history. Gresham clocked a 4k time of 14:14.8 in the season opener at Indiana and ran a 5k time of 16:58.6 in the Sycamores' most recent meet at Notre Dame. She also owns a top-five 6k time in program history, as she ran a time of 21:03.7 at the John McNichols Invitational in September.
Gresham's record-setting performances have helped Indiana State to first-place finishes at both the Sam Bell Invitational (Indiana) and Joe Piane Invitational (Notre Dame). The Sycamores placed second in the John McNichols Invitational behind only Michigan, a team ranked among the best in the Great Lakes region.
Back In The Polls
Indiana State remained at No. 14 on the women's side in this week's USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region rankings, marking the third straight week in the rankings for the Blue and White after being unranked to start the season.
Indiana State also checked in at No. 15 on the men's side, marking the first regional ranking for the Sycamore men since 2018. Indiana State's entry into the regional rankings comes on the heels of a top-five finish at Notre Dame, with career-best efforts from
Emerson Fayman (24:46.4) and
Layton Hall (2$:53.6) leading the way for the Sycamores.
The recent rankings mark the first time since October 2018 that both the Indiana State' men's and women's programs were regionally ranked at the same time. Indiana State was ranked 10th in the region on the men's side and 13th on the women's side heading into the championship weekend that season.
Championships Coming Home
Indiana State University has been chosen to host the 2026 NCAA Men's and Women's Cross Country National Championships, which will take place Nov. 21, 2026 at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course.
Indiana State and the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course have previously hosted 13 NCAA Division I Cross Country National Championships, all of which have come since 2002. LaVern Gibson has hosted the national meet in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016 and most recently in 2019. Including the 2026 championships, no course has hosted the NCAA Cross Country National Championships more than the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course.
In addition, the course has also been the host of the NCAA Division I Great Lakes Regional seven times (1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2017, 2018, 2022) and was the site of the 2012 NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championships. The 2024 NCAA Division III National Championships also return to Terre Haute in November, while this bid cycle also awarded the 2027 NCAA Division III National Championships to Rose-Hulman and the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course.
Pollster Predictions
Indiana State was picked to finish in the top half of the MVC on both the men's and women's side in the 2024 preseason poll, voted on by the head coaches in the conference. The Sycamores were picked to finish fifth on the men's side and sixth on the women's side.
Head coach
Brad Butler enters his fourth season with the Sycamores, and has a strong upperclassmen group to rely on for both the men's and women's teams.
Cael Light (25:20.2) and
Layton Hall (25:31.1) both placed in the top 25 at the 2023 MVC Cross Country Championships, while
Jason Dworak ranks among the top 20 8k times in program history (24:35.7). Light was also an Honorable Mention All-MVC selection at the 2022 MVC Cross Country Championships (24:57.4).
On the women's side,
Erica Barker and
Morgan Dyer provide strong leadership to a young, but talented group. Barker ranks among the top 10 6k times in program history (21:46.2) and returns from to the fold after missing the 2023 cross country season due to injury. Dyer has consistently been in Indiana State's top five runners in recent years, and ranks among the top 20 6k times in program history (22:10.0).
Up Next
Indiana State sets its sights on the MVC Cross Country Championships, slated for November 1 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on the Sycamore Cross Country teams, make sure to check out
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