SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Five Indiana State cross country athletes ran program top-20 times Friday morning, 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 and Burak climbing to second in program history in the 5k.
 
Fayman was the top finisher for the Trees, crossing the line in a career-best 24:07.0 to place 35th in the field. Ryan Handy also clocked a career-best for the Blue and White, with his 24:35.5 earning a top-70 finish and moving him into the program top-20 charts.
 
Ryan York and Brandon Mueller added top-100 finishes for the Sycamores, with York's 24:52.3 ranking 89th in the field and Mueller running a career-best 24:59.5 to finish 98th. Mueller's time was a PR by nearly 45 seconds and was also nearly two minutes faster than his 8k time at this season's John McNichols Invitational.
 
Xander Fackler rounded out the scoring for the Sycamores with a career-best time of 25:06.7 to place 105th, running a 50-second PR and improving on his first 8k of the season by more than two minutes. Henry McMurry (25:33.9), Chris Angeles (25:37.4) and Jcim Grant (25:45.7) rounded out the contingent for the Trees on the men's side.
 
Burak led the way for the Blue and White on the women's side, continuing her strong start to the season with a career-best 5k time of 17:02.8 to finish 41st. Burak moved up to second in program history in the 5k, and was one of three Sycamores to run program top-20 5k times Friday.
 
Halle Miller and Hadley Gradolf both added top-100 finishes, with Miller running 17:36.7 to finish 84th and Gradolf clocking a time of 17:42.1 to place 91st. Both Miller and Gradolf moved up the program top-20 charts with their performances.
 
Gnister Grant and Katy Green closed out the scoring for the Sycamores, with Grant running 17:56.0 to place 111th and Green right behind in 17:57.03 to finish 115th. Eve Schurr (18:04.1), Peyton Smith (18:23.5) and Robyn Schemel (19:06.4) rounded out the Sycamore entries in South Bend.
 
No. 16 Notre Dame claimed the men's team race with 22 points, while No. 1 NC State won the women's team race with 39 points. Notre Dame's Daelen Ackley was the top finisher on the men's side, while NC State's Hannah Gapes was the first to cross the line on the women's side.
 
Indiana State Results (Men's 8K/Women's 5K)
WOMEN: 15th of 20 teams (38-76-83-100-103-(108)-(122)) – 400 points
41. Brittney Burak – 17:02.8
84. Halle Miller – 17:36.7
91. Hadley Gradolf – 17:42.1
111. Gnister Grant – 17:56.0
115. Katy Green – 17:57.3
121. Eve Schurr – 18:04.2
144. Peyton Smith – 18:23.5
173. Robyn Schemel – 19:06.4
 
MEN: 14th of 18 teams (33-62-82-89-96-(108)-(112)) – 362 points
35. Emerson Fayman – 24:07.0
67. Ryan Handy – 24:35.5
89. Ryan York – 24:52.3
98. Brandon Mueller – 24:59.5
105. Xander Fackler – 25:06.7
124. Henry McMurry – 25:33.9
129. Chris Angeles – 25:37.4
135. Jcim Grant – 25:45.7
 
Up Next
Indiana State has six athletes scheduled to compete in Friday evening's Nike XC Town Twilight, slated for 5 p.m. at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course. Following Friday's split-squad action, the Sycamores return to competition October 16 for the Under Armour Pre-National Invitational in Terre Haute.
 
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.