TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State cross country toes the line with some of the nation's top talent Friday morning, as the Sycamores take part in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional at Forest Akers East Golf Course in East Lansing, Michigan.
 
Friday's women's 6k will start at 10 a.m., with the men's 10k to follow at 11 a.m.
 
There is a $12 admission fee, with all tickets being fully digital and available for purchase HERE.
 
Meetday Info
Tickets are fully digital and must be purchased online through MSU Athletics. No cash/credit card transactions will be offered at the gate on event day. A QR code to purchase online will also be posted in the parking lot. Spectators must show their event ticket to board the shuttle. Purchase tickets ahead of time here.
 
All spectator parking is in Lot 89, which is located at 1712 Farm Lane. A shuttle will transport spectators from Lot 89 to the Forest Akers East Golf Course parking lot and back. All spectators required to use the shuttle during the NCAA Cross Country Regional.
 
Who's In The Field
Joining the Sycamores and regional host Michigan State in Friday's field will be Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Butler, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Cleveland State, Dayton, Detroit Mercy, Eastern Michigan, Evansville, Green Bay, Indiana, IU Indy, Kent State, Marquette, Miami (Ohio), Michigan, Milwaukee, Notre Dame, Oakland, Ohio, Ohio State, Purdue, Purdue Fort Wayne, Southern Indiana, Toledo, Valparaiso, Western Michigan, Wisconsin, Wright State, Xavier and Youngstown State.
 
Last Time Out
Indiana State's top five women's runners all placed in the top 25, leading the Sycamores to a third-place finish at the 2026 MVC Cross Country Championships.
 
Brittney Burak and Hadley Gradolf claimed top-15 finishes to lead the way for the Blue and White at A.H. Blank Golf Course, earning all-conference accolades in the process. Halle Miller, Peyton Smith and Eve Schurr all placed in the top 25 for the Trees. Emerson Fayman and Ryan Handy carded top-30 finishes for the Blue and White on the men's side, as the Sycamores placed sixth and were just one point off the top five.
 
Women's Outlook
Indiana State has placed in the top 10 at the Great Lakes Regional in each of the last two seasons, finishing eighth in 2024 and ninth in 2025. The Sycamores bring a veteran group to this year's postseason in East Lansing, with all-conference standouts Brittney Burak and Hadley Gradolf leading the way. Burak ran a career-best 6k time 20:28.6 at the MVC Championships, while Gradolf (20:46.1) and Halle Miller (20:47.1) both clocked top-five times in program history.
 
The Sycamores are coming off an MVC Championships performance that saw their entire top five finish in the top 25 in the field. Additionally, the Sycamores entire top seven – consisting of Burak, Gradolf, Miller, Peyton Smith, Eve Schurr, Katy Green and Gnister Grant – rank among the top 15 on the Trees' all-time 6k performance list. Five of those seven performances – Burak (20:28.1), Gradolf (20:46.1), Miller (20:47.1), Schurr (21:15.3) and Green (21:28.2) – came at the 2026 MVC Championships to help the Trees claim their third straight top-three finish in the conference.

Indiana State enters the regional ranked at No. 10 in the Great Lakes Region. The Sycamores have been ranked in every poll dating back to the first week of the 2024 season.
 
Men's Outlook
Indiana State will rely on its seniors to push the Trees back into the top half of the region, led by fifth-year Emerson Fayman. Fayman ranks among the top 8k times in program history with his 24:07.0 at Notre Dame, while also carding the fastest 8k by a Sycamore at LaVern Gibson in over a decade.
 
Upperclassmen Ryan York and Ryan Handy join Fayman on the program top-20 charts for 8k times and have been mainstays in the Sycamore top five during their time in Terre Haute. Both Sycamore seniors were among the top three finishers for the Trees at the MVC Championships, as Handy ran 24:38.3 and York clocked a time of 24:40.8. Xander Fackler and Brandon Mueller both made major strides in 2026, with both running career-best times at the MVC Championships to break into the Trees' scoring group.
 
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.
 
Up Next
Should the Sycamore have athletes qualify for the 2026 NCAA Cross Country Championships, they'll have the opportunity to compete against the best on their home course. Indiana State hosts the national championships November 21 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.