NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State Cross Country team is set to travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa to compete at the 2024 MVC Championships, on Friday morning, at the Pheasant Ridge Golf Course. The event begins at 11 a.m. with the women's 5,000-meter race, while the men's 8,000-meter race follows at 12:00 p.m. 

THE FIELD

The Redbirds will be taking on challengers from the rest of the MVC field. With 12 teams competing in the women's race and 11 squads in the men's race.

LAST TIME AT THE MVC CHAMPIONSHIP

In the 2023 MVC Championship, Illinois State earned top-5 finishes in both events. The women's team led by Mattison Plummer, finished third with a point total of 93. The men's squad earned a fourth-place finish as Mathis Chavand led the Redbirds with a second-place finish

MVC WOMEN'S PRE-MVC CHAMPIONSHIP POLL  (First-Place Votes)

1st - Bradley (12)

T2nd - Belmont 

T2nd - Indiana State

4th - Illinois State 

5th - Drake 

6th - UNI

7th - Missouri State

8th - UIC

9th - Southern Illinois

10th - Murray State

T11th - Evansville 

T11th - Valparaiso

MVC MEN'S PRE-MVC CHAMPIONSHIP POLL  (First-Place Votes)

1st - Belmont (7)

2nd - Illinois State (2)

3rd - Bradley (1)

4th - Drake (1)

5th - UIC

6th - Indiana State

7th - UNI

8th - Southern Illinois

9th - Valparaiso

10th - Evansville

11th - Murray State

ILLINOIS STATE STARTING LINE – WOMEN

Grace Erb (So.) // Trixie Johnson (So.) // Mattison Plummer (Sr.) // Maggie Reed (Jr.) // Lauren Schulze (Sr.) // Kaitlin Skeate (Sr.) // Astrid Van Breedam (Fr.)

ILLINOIS STATE STARTING LINE – MEN

Yusuf Baig (Jr.) // Julian Baker (Fr.) // Mathis Chavand (R-Sr.) // Nick Doud (Gr.) // Zack Loomis (Sr.)  // Blake Oleson (So.) // William Sinclair (Gr.) // Josh Weeks (Fr.) // Noah Penry (So.)