McLean County Times

Both the men's and women's cross country teams from Illinois State University have been projected to finish third in the upcoming Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Championships, according to a poll released by the conference on Tuesday. The poll results were determined by votes from MVC head coaches.

The championship races are scheduled for Friday at Angel Mounds in Evansville, Indiana. The women's 6K race will start at 10:30 a.m., followed by the men's 8K race at 11:30 a.m.

Last year, Illinois State's men's team finished as runner-up in the MVC Championships, while the women's team placed sixth. Historically, the Redbird men have secured ten conference titles, most recently during the 2020-21 season. The women’s team has won seven MVC championships, with their last title coming in 2012.

In this year's pre-championship poll for women’s teams, Bradley was ranked first with 110 points and all eleven first-place votes. Indiana State was picked second with 93 points, narrowly ahead of Illinois State’s third-place ranking with 92 points.

On the men’s side, Bradley also led with 110 points and eleven first-place votes. UIC was selected second with 96 points, while Illinois State received third place with 88 points.

For further updates on Illinois State Cross Country teams and their progress throughout the season, information is available on GoRedbirds.com as well as on social media platforms X (@RedbirdTFXC), Instagram (isuredbirdtfxc), and Facebook (Illinois State Track & Field/Cross Country).