TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State plays host to its lone home cross country meet of the 2025 season Saturday morning when it plays host to the John McNichols Invitational at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course.
 
The men's 8k race will start at 9 a.m., with the women's 6k race to follow at 9:45 a.m. There is a $5 per person admission fee collected at the gate, with children ages 5 and under admitted for free.
 

2025 John McNichols Invitational
Date	Saturday, September 20 | 9 a.m. (men's 8k) // 9:45 a.m. (women's 6k)
Location // Venue	Terre Haute, Ind. // LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course
Preview Info	Meet Information // Entries // Box Assignments // Course Maps (8K | 6K)
Live Results	Results Link
Tickets	$5 Admission Per Person Collected at the Gate // Children 5 and Under Free
Social Media	@IndStXCTF // @IndStAthletics

 
Who's In The Field?
Joining the Sycamores in Saturday's field are Anderson (Ind.), Danville Area CC, Eastern Illinois, Evansville, Miami (Ohio), Muskingum, Oakton CC, Rose-Hulman, Spoon River, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, UIndy, Vincennes, Washington University and Xavier.
 
Saturday's meet features a trio of teams that are regionally ranked in the Great Lakes region in the Indiana State women (No. 9) and the Miami (Ohio) men (No. 11) and women (No. 15). Also featured in the Division III regional rankings are the Rose-Hulman men (Great Lakes No. 5) and the Washington University men (Midwest No. 4) and women (Midwest No. 2). Washington University's women's team sits at No. 8 in the Division III national rankings, while WashU's men's team is No. 28 in the national rankings.
 
Last Time Out
Indiana State opened its 2025 cross country season with a statement showing, as six Sycamores bettered the previous 4k program record at the Fighting Illini Invitational. The Sycamores placed second as a team on the women's side, ahead of host institution Illinois, while the men finished fifth.
 
Brittney Burak led the way for the Blue and White on the women's side, placing seventh overall and breaking Emma Gresham's program record set last year with a time of 13:44.4. Gresham was right behind her in ninth at 13:47.3, while Peyton Smith (14:00.0), Sawyer DeWitt (14:00.1) and Gnister Grant (14:06.9) rounded out the Trees' top five with top-20 finishes.
 
Emerson Fayman paced the Trees on the men's side, finishing 12th with a time of 18:06.8. Ryan York (18:30.7) and Mason Nobles (18:34.3) both placed in the top 30 for the Blue and White, while Will Kozlowski (18:42.5) and Jcim Grant (18:54.4) rounded out the scoring for the Sycamores.
 
New Kids On The Block
Indiana State's newcomers made an instant impact in the Sycamores' season-opening meet at Illinois. The Trees featured a pair of freshmen in their top seven on the women's side, while two freshmen and a transfer were among Indiana State's top seven on the men's side.
 
Sawyer DeWitt's season-opening 4k time of 14:00.1 placed her fourth in program history in the event, with Eve Schurr's time of 14:30.6 also putting her in the top 10 in program history in the 4k. On the men's side, Mason Nobles carded a top-30 finish in his collegiate debut with a 6k time of 18:34.3. Chris Angeles (18:55.7) and Alex Alvarez (18:59.0) also placed among the top 40 in their Indiana State debuts.
 
Home Sweet Home
Indiana State junior Emma Gresham has seen plenty of success at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in her career, as she placed second at last year's John McNichols Invitational with a 6k time of 21:03.7. Gresham's time was the second-fastest 6k by a Sycamore at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course.
 
Gresham also holds the distinction of having Indiana State's fastest 5k by a freshman at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course with her time of 18:08.6 at the 2023 John McNichols Invitational. She also earned a top-25 finish in that year's race.
 
Big Things Coming
Indiana State features one of the youngest rosters in Division I, with just one senior among the 28 men's and women's cross country athletes in the Sycamore program. Despite that, the Trees are still poised to build off a strong 2024 campaign which saw Indiana State place second on the women's side and fifth on the men's side at the MVC Championships.
 
The Trees returned five of their top seven on the women's side from a team which featured the individual conference champion (Emma Gresham), the program's best conference finish since 1997 (second) and a top-10 finish at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional (eighth). Indiana State also returns four of its top seven on the men's side, including three of its top five, and will look to build off its third straight top-half finish in the MVC.
 
Leading The Charge
Indiana State's season-opening meet at Illinois featured familiar faces at the top of the Sycamore lineup on both the men's and women's side. Emerson Fayman was a mainstay among the Trees' top two on the men's side a season ago, and he led the charge for the Sycamores at the Fighting Illini Invitational with a top-15 finish. Ryan York, another of Indiana State's top three from a season ago, was the second Sycamore to cross the line at Illinois and placed in the top 30.
 
The Trees featured a pair of athletes in the top 10 on the women's side in their season opener, with Brittney Burak leading the way in seventh and Emma Gresham in ninth. Burak was consistently among Indiana State's top four a season ago, while Gresham broke the program 4k, 5k and 6k records last season and won the MVC individual title. Gresham's 4k program record lasted all of one season, as Burak took that down with her time of 13:44.4 in the season opener.
 
Up Next
Indiana State will compete in the Joe Piane Invitational October 3 at Notre Dame. The Sycamores will also have a contingent at the XC Town Twilight that evening at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course.
 
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 Facebook and Twitter. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from the both the App Store and the Google Play Store.