Marc Martindale Associate Athletic Director/Events & Facilities | LinkedIn
Marc Martindale Associate Athletic Director/Events & Facilities | LinkedIn
The Illinois State cross country program has announced its schedule for the upcoming 2024 season. The schedule includes five regular-season meets, featuring one home meet, before the Redbirds commence postseason competition at the MVC Championships.
"We have a slow build to the season with some low-key competitions early as we give our younger student-athletes a bit of experience," Illinois State Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Jeff Bovee said. "Then, it ramps up once we head to the invite at Mizzou, where the NCAA Championship meet will be held next year, and that will be followed by the Pre-NCAA meet at Wisconsin where we will see many of the top teams in the country before Nationals this year. Obviously, our main emphasis is our preparation for the Missouri Valley Conference Championship at Evansville and the NCAA Midwest Regional, which will be right down the road in Peoria at a course we are very familiar with."
To open the season, Illinois State will travel to Iowa City, Iowa, on Friday, August 30, for the Hawkeye Invite at 6 p.m. Following a weekend off, ISU will return to Normal to host the Redbird Invite on Friday, September 13, at 5 p.m. at Weibring Golf Club. At the 2023 Redbird Invite, both Illinois State women and men finished in first place.
The Redbirds will then travel to Columbia, Missouri, to compete in the Gans Creek Classic on Friday, September 27 at 9 a.m. This will be followed by the Bradley Pink Classic on Friday, October 18 at 2 p.m. in Peoria, Illinois. The regular season concludes on Saturday, October 19 when select runners head to Madison, Wisconsin for the Pre-NCAA meet.
Evansville is set to host the 2024 MVC Cross Country Championships on Friday, November 1 with action beginning at 11:00 a.m. CT. The NCAA Midwest Regional follows in Peoria on Friday, November 15 at 11 a.m., before student-athletes who qualify advance to the NCAA Championships hosted by Wisconsin on Saturday, November 23.
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