TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State once again becomes the center of the cross country world Friday, as the Sycamores host the Under Armour Pre-National Invitational at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course.
 
Friday's proceedings will start with the women's blue division 6k at 10 a.m., followed by the men's blue division 8k at 10:40 a.m., women's white division 6k at 11:20 a.m. and men's white division 8k at noon.
 
There is a $5 admission fee, which will be collected at the gates. Gates will open for teams starting at 8 a.m. RunnerSpace will broadcast the meet (subscription required), while PT Timing will provide live results.
 
Who's In The Field
Joining the host Sycamores in Friday's field will be Arizona, Auburn (women only), Ball State (women only), Bellarmine, Boston College (women only), Butler (women only), BYU (women only), California Baptist, Central Michigan, Clemson, Colorado State, Cornell, Dayton, Duke, Eastern Michigan, Evansville, Florida State, Illinois, Indiana, Iona, IU Indy, Kansas, Kentucky, Liberty, Lipscomb, Miami (Ohio), Michigan, Mississippi State (women only), Montana State, Murray State, NC State, North Carolina, North Dakota, Notre Dame, Ohio, Oklahoma (women only), Ole Miss, Penn, Penn State (men only), Pitt, Portland (women only), Purdue, Purdue Fort Wayne, Quinnipiac (women only), Saint Louis, SMU (women only), South Dakota State, Southern Illinois (women only), Southern Indiana, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin (men only), Syracuse, Toledo (men only), UConn (women only), UMass Lowell, UT Martin, Utah State, Utah Tech, Utah Valley, Valparaiso, Vanderbilt, Villanova, Western Michigan (women only), Wichita State and Wyoming.
 
Last Time Out
Four Indiana State cross country athletes ran program top-20 times, as the Sycamores finished 15th on the women's side and 14th on the men's side at the Joe Piane Invitational.
 
Top-50 finishes from Emerson Fayman on the men's side and Brittney Burak on the women's side paced the Blue and White, with Fayman moving up to fourth in program history in the 8k at 24:07.0 and Burak climbing to second in program history in the 5k at 17:02.8.
 
Three Indiana State athletes also ran career-best 6k times at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, as the Sycamores finished seventh on the women's side at the Nike XC Town Twilight.
 
Emersyn Bland and Lily Rollings both recorded top-20 finishes to lead the way for the Blue and White, with Bland placing 16th at 22:33.7 and Rollings right behind in 19th at 22:40.5. Both Bland and Rollings ran personal bests, with Bland breaking her previous best by over 30 seconds and Rollings besting her time from two weeks ago by 35 seconds.
 
All Roads Lead Home
The 2026 season will be a busy one for Indiana State, with the Sycamores set to host the NCAA Cross Country National Championships for the 14th time in program history. The nation's premier meet returns to the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course for the first time since 2019, with the Blue and White previously also hosting the meet in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2016.
 
Tickets for the 2026 NCAA Cross Country National Championships are already on sale and can be purchased HERE.
 
Prior to hosting the national championships, Indiana State will have three meets at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course. The Sycamores will welcome top talent from across the country for the John McNichols Invitational (Sept. 19), Nike XC Town Twilight (Oct. 2) and Under Armour Pre-National Invitational (Oct. 3).
 
Trees In The Polls
Indiana State remains among the best in the Great Lakes Region, with the Sycamores checking in at No. 14 on the women's side in the most recent set of regional rankings.
 
The Sycamores have been ranked in the top 15 in the region in 18 consecutive polls, a streak which dates back to the first meet of the 2024 season. Indiana State has placed in the top 10 on the women's side at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional in each of the last two seasons, finishing ahead of the likes of Indiana, Purdue and Ohio State.
 
Climbing The Ranks
Indiana State's program top-20 charts have seen plenty of turnover through the first two meets of the 2026 season, with eight different Sycamores setting marks that rank among the program's best during the early portion of the campaign.
 
Emerson Fayman was the latest to climb the program rankings with a career-best 24:07 8k at the Joe Piane Invitational to crack the top five in program history. Three Trees on the women's side – Brittney Burak, Halle Miller and Hadley Gradolf – have run program top-20 times in both the 4k (Fighting Illini Invitational), 5k (Joe Piane Invitational) and 6k (John McNichols Invitational) this season, while Eve Schurr, Emersyn Bland and Lily Rollings all ran program top-20 4k times in the season-opening Fighting Illini Invitational.
 
Up Next
Indiana State sets its sights on the 2026 MVC Championships, which take place October 30 in Des Moines, Iowa.
 
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.