TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State cross country makes the long trek for the 2024 MVC Cross Country Championships in Cedar Falls, Iowa, with the Sycamores looking to bring home hardware Friday.
The women's 6k race will run at noon, with the men's 8k race to follow at 1 p.m.
Last Time Out
Emma Gresham broke her third school record of the season and second in as many meets, as Indiana State earned a top-five finish on the women's side at the Bradley Pink Classic.
Gresham clocked a 6k time of 20:35.8, breaking the program record in the event by 17 seconds. The time also bested her previous 6k PR by 28 seconds and earned her a top-10 finish in the deepest field Indiana State has competed in this season. Indiana State placed fourth in the women's team standings.
Erica Barker also ran a sub-21 time in the 6k at 20:56.9 to finish in the top 20, with
Brittney Burak (21:20.0),
Hadley Gradolf (21:28.0) and
Morgan Dyer (21:34.4) rounding out the scorers for the Sycamores.
Layton Hall and
Ryan York recorded career-best 8k finishes of 24:508 and 25:00.8 to lead the way for Indiana State on the men's side.
Emerson Fayman (25:07.2),
Ian Gadberry (25:25.0) and
Jcim Grant (25:52.5) rounded out the top five scorers for the Sycamores, who placed 18th in the team standings.
Jason Dworak and
Ryan Handy closed out the top seven for the Trees with their respective times of 26:05.9 and 26:08.9.
Pre-Championship Predictions
The Missouri Valley Conference released its 2024 pre-championship poll Tuesday afternoon, with Indiana State being picked to finish second on the women's side and sixth on the men's side.
The Sycamores have finished in sixth or better on the men's side in eight of the last nine championships, including top-three finishes in 2016 and 2017 with a conference title in 2014. Indiana State is seeking its first top-three finish on the women's side since 2019, with the Sycamores' last top-two finish on the women's side coming in 1997.
This year's championships are in Cedar Falls for the first time since 2016. Indiana State finished third on the men's side and fourth on the women's side that season.
Eyes On The Prize
Indiana State has multiple athletes with a shot at earning all-conference honors at the 2024 MVC Cross Country Championships.
Emma Gresham and
Erica Barker own two of the top five times in the conference this season in the 6k, while seven different Sycamores have already set program top-20 marks during the 2024 campaign.
On the men's side,
Cael Light and
Layton Hall placed in the top 25 at last season's MVC Championships, and Light was also an Honorable Mention All-MVC selection in 2022.
Emerson Fayman has been among the Sycamores' top runners this season, while
Jason Dworak owns a top-20 program mark in the 8k.
Record Setter
Indiana State sophomore
Emma Gresham has already broken three program records this season, running the fastest 4k, 5k and 6k 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 recently broke the program record in the 6k at Bradley, running a time of 20:35.8.
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, and fourth at the Bradley Pink Classic.
On The Rise
Emma Gresham,
Erica Barker and
Brad Butler discuss the success of this season and what's still in store for Indiana State heading into conference championship week.
Climbing The Ranks
Indiana State moved up three spots to No. 11 on the women's side in the most recent USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region rankings. It marks the highest Indiana State has been ranked since the early stages. of the 2018 season.
The Sycamores' ascent up the rankings comes off a fourth-place finish at the Bradley Pink Classic, in which the Trees placed higher than the likes of Butler, Kentucky, Iowa, Kansas State and Cincinnati.
Emma Gresham and
Erica Barker ran two of the five fastest 6k times in program history, with both going below the 21-minute mark.
Indiana State has been regionally ranked on the women's side in each of the last four Great Lakes Region rankings, the longest stretch for the program since the 2018 season.
Up Next
Indiana State will take part in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional November 15 in Norton, Ohio.
Follow the Sycamores
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
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