2023 MVC Cross Country Championship host, Belmont (14 points) slated top of The Valley in the women's preseason poll with 10 first place votes by the coaches. 2022 reigning champions Bradley (28 points) slated second with 2 first place votes. Drake (33 points) tallied third by the coaches, followed by Illinois State (47 points), Southern Illinois (62 points), and Northern Iowa (80 points). With UIC (90 points), Missouri State (99 points), and Indiana State (100 points). Murray State (112 points), Valparaiso (130 points), and Evansville (139 points) round out the votes from the coaches.
Drake (12 points) secured 10 first place votes from The Missouri Valley Conference coaches poll predicting their top of the conference finish in the 2023 cross country season. Reigning 2022 MVC champions Bradley (29 points) polled second earning one first place vote followed by Illinois State (34 points). 2023 MVC Cross Country Championship host, Belmont (39 points) slated fourth for the men followed by Southern Illinois (59 points), Indiana State (64 points), and UIC (79 points). Valparaiso tied with Northern Iowa for eighth with 93 points. Murray State (106 points) and Evansville (118 points) round out the coaches votes for the poll.
Belmont
- Women - 1st
- After placing second in its inaugural Missouri Valley Conference championship race, the Belmont University women’s cross country team looks to contend for the league crown once again. The Bruins return seven runners in 2023, including Kaitlyn Vanderkolk who earned All-MVC First Team honors and the Elite 17 Award last season. Belmont also returns Grace Litzinger and Katie Flaherty, who earned an All-Conference honorable mention last season.
- Men - 4th
- After placing fourth in its inaugural Missouri Valley Conference championship race, the Belmont men’s cross country team looks to contend for the league title this season. The Bruins return 11 runners in 2023, including Kevin Vanderkolk who earned All-MVC First Team honors and Ethan Hammer, who claimed an All-Conference honorable mention last season. Belmont also returns Jacob Ricks and Zac Shaffer who both finished inside the top 25 at the MVC championships last season.
- The Bruins will begin their 2023 campaign by hosting the Belmont Opener on September 1st.
Bradley
- Women - 2nd
- The reigning 2022 MVC Cross Country Champions, set to return to the courses with top returner Wilma and Julia Nielsen and Nadia Potgieter. Wilma Nielsen finished 5th at the MVC Championship with a 6k time of 21:19.8. W. Nielsen set a personal best time in the 6k of 20:44.2 earning her 23rd at the 2022 NCAA Midwest Regional. Potgieter finished 15th at championship with a time of 22:03.5, and set her personal best time at the Bradley Pink Classic with a time of 21:11.2. Julia Nielsen finished in the top 30 of the conference championship in 2022 with a time of 22:37.0. J. Nielsen set her personal best in the 6k in 2021 with a time of 22:00.7 placing 33rd at the Gans Creek Classic.
- Men - 2nd
- After graduating their top four finishers in the 2022 championship the Braves look to gain traction from sophomore Caleb Lind, who finished 19th in the 2022 championship with a time of 25:04.6. Junior teammate Max Dieterich finished in 20th with a time of 25:06.8 in the 2022 championship, also set to return for the Braves this season. Sophomore Michael Rebello is set to compete for the Braves after a top 30 finish in the championship with a new personal best 8k time of 25:22.3.
- Bradley hired Andrew Carlson, former Louisville assistant coach, to lead the Braves as head coach.
Drake
- Men - 1st
- Drake men’s cross country returns its core of senior Isaac Basten (2022 MVC Cross Country Championships medalist), junior Aziz Jdai (fifth place at 2022 MVC Cross Country Championships) and junior Enzo Marie (eighth place at 2022 MVC Cross Country Championships). Basten is a five-time NCAA Track & Field All-American. Basten’s 10K PR is 29:45.1.
- Women - 3rd
- Drake women’s cross country will once again be led by senior Brooke Mullins (2022 MVC Cross Country Championships runner-up), junior Tyla Lumley (eighth place at 2022 MVC Cross Country Championships) and junior Emilie Meyer (18th place at 2022 MVC Cross Country Championships). Mullins became the first Drake women’s track & field student-athlete to win an event at the Drake Relays since Gina DeWitt in 1995. Mullin’s 6K PR is 20:29.5.
Evansville
- Women - 12th
- The Aces introduce a new young roster to The Valley tabbing 9 Freshman and Graduate Transfer Student from Kentucky Wesleyan College Sarah Vanderhoof-Dossett. Vanderhoof-Dossett set her personal best time in the 5k at the Brescia University Invitational last year with a time of 20:26.4. The transfer set her personal best 6k time at the Great Midwest Championships in 2021 with a time of 25:12.7.
- Men - 11th
- The Aces introduce a new young roster to The Valley with 9 Freshman alongside top returners Adam Oulgout and Joey Taylor. Junior Oulgout finished 68th in the 2022 MVC Championships with an 8k time of 26:56.7. Oulgout recorded his personal best 8k time of 26:28.6 at the UE Invitational in 2022. Sophomore Joey Taylor returns for the Aces with a personal best 8k time of 28:52.0 set at the 2022 MVC Championships.
UIC
- Women - 7th
- As a team, the women finished sixth out of a 12-team field while the men took seventh out of 11 teams in their inaugural year in the Valley. A strong running from a core of veterans like Cailyn Persinger, put the Flames in a good position for the upcoming season.
- Men - 7th
- The UIC men’s and women’s cross country teams have a handful of returners ready for their second season in the Missouri Valley Conference. A strong running from a core of veterans like Daniel Chavez and Dathan Maton put the Flames in a good position for the upcoming season.
Illinois State
- Men - 3rd
- Illinois State Cross country team has seventeen total returns that include three All-Conference earners form last year including Zack Loomis, Mathis Chavand and Baptise Tardiveau which are all upperclassmen that are leaders for the team. For the men’s side we have those returners that ran sub 25 minutes in the 8k, with Zack and Baptise finishing in the top-50 at the 2022 MVC Championships last season. Mathis Chavand was named Men’s Freshman of the year in 2022.
- Women - 4th
- On the women’s side we four returners that ran sub 24 minutest at last years MVC Championships as well, having three returners finishing in the top-15 at last year’s championship meet Senior Claire Fuhlhage best finish was eight with her best time at 21:58.9. Senior Baptise Tardiveau best finish was fifth while his best time was 24:14.0. Men finished third and the Women finished fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference in last year’s final standings.
Indiana State
- Men - 6th
- Indiana State looks poised to take a step forward in 2023, with the Sycamores returning their top five runners from last season. Jackson Krieg leads the way for the Trees, ranking sixth in program history in the 8k (24:22) and also winning the season-opening EIU Walt Crawford Open in 2022. Logan Pietrzak (24:24) and Jason Dworak (24:35) also rank in the top 15 in program history in the 8k, while Cael Light earned Honorable Mention All-MVC after finishing 12th at the conference championships. Krieg, Pietrzak and Dworak all finished in the top 35 at the MVC Championships, while Layton Hall was just outside the top 40. Indiana State’s top seven finishers from the 2022 MVC Championships are all back (Light, Krieg, Pietrzak, Dworak, Hall, Ethan Breen, Emerson Fayman).
- Women - 9th
- Indiana State returns most of its 2022 team, with Erica Barker leading the way for the Blue and White. Barker moved up to 10th in program history in the 6k (21:46) and was the Sycamores’ top finisher at the MVC Championships (22nd), while Morgan Dyer returns after being among the Sycamores’ top runners at both the MVC Championship and NCAA Great Lakes Regional. Sara Skaff returns after placing in the top 40 at her first-ever MVC Championship, while graduate transfer Rachel Conhoff was a two-time NCAA Division III National Championship participant. Kyra Young, Cami Farmer and Chloe Loftus also return for the Sycamores.
Missouri State
- Women - 8th
- After finishing 8th in the 2022 MVC Cross Country Championship the Bears are slated 8th for the 2023 season. Returning Junior Mary Margaret Harris who finished 49th at the MVC Championship with a time of 23:15.7. Harris' best 6k time was set at the 2022 Plate River Rumble where she set a time of 22:23.4. The Bears also return Senior Natalie Clayton, finishing 56th in the MVC Championship, recorded her personal best time in the 6k at the 2022 Plate River Rumble at 22:52.2. Margo Nea is set to return for Missouri State with a top 60 finish in the 2022 Championship after setting her personal best in the 2022 Plate River Rumble with a time of 22:33.0.
Murray State
- Women - 10th
- The Racers also return their top two runners from the 2022 season in junior Ruth Kimutai and sophomore Samantha Tucci. Kimutai, the Racers’ number-one runner last season, posted a top-10 program record of 22:15.8 at the Bradley Pink Classic in 2022. Tucci made an impact her freshman year, shattering her personal record at the first meet of the 2022 campaign at the Belmont Opener. She recorded a time of 19:26.58, breaking her personal best by more than a minute and finishing in the top 20. After signing five freshmen--Joy Alexander, Alyssa Moore, Hallie Mosier, Chloe Wood, and Kaydee Wooldridge—Kiesler believes they will make an impact by the end of the 2023 campaign.
- Men - 10th
- Senior and number one runner Jorge Ruiz returns to Murray State after a stellar junior year. He snapped a 40-year-old 8,000-meter record, previously held by Gary Ribbons (24:32, 1982), with a time of 24:27.3 at the Bradley Pink Classic last season. Just two weeks prior to that meet, Ruiz was just 15 seconds short of tying Ribbons’ record. Along with Ruiz’s record-breaking performance, the Racers’ number two man, Vicente Correia, posted a top-three all-time performance with a time of 25:14.0. With the help of seniors Nathan Quinn and Jarod Willis, head coach Adam Kiesler says that the depth of the men’s roster will help Murray State pursue a championship.
Northern Iowa
- Women - 6th
- Junior Kate Crawford, finished top three in all events throughout the 2022-23 season, earning College Sports Communicators Academic All-District. Marking team’s best individual result early off in the season at the 2022-23 Redbird Invite in a time of 22:23.02, and UNI’s first finisher at the Gans Creek Classic in a time of 21:44 performing a personal best run. Running at MVC Championships, Crawford secures a top-30 finish with a time of 22:29 to place 26th.
- Junior Sophia Jungling, placed second among team members in a time of 22:37.00 at the Redbird Invite in the 2022-23 season. Tagging in as UNI’s third finisher at the Gans Creek Classic finishing in 89th place with a personal best time of 22:09.8 in the 6K. At the MVC Championships, Jungling placed top-50 across the board.
- Junior Emma Hoins, Waverly native ran top times for the UNI Panthers. Hoins was UNI’s second finisher at the Gans Creek Classic with a 72nd place finish and time of 21:53. UNI’s First finisher at the Bradley Pink Classic and MVC Championships, finishing in 21st place with a time of 22:19. Hoins was the No. 1 finisher in final three events featuring the team's best individual time of season (21:42) at NCAA Regionals.
- Men - 8th
- Sophomore Jayden Dickson, ran his personal best time of 25:54 at the Gans Creek Classic in the 2022-23 Cross Country season. As running a time of 26:21 finishing in 54th place overall for a season-best team finish of third among UNI competitors at the MVC Championships.
- Sophomore Kon Dut, finished in 60th place with a time of 27:36.06 at the 2022-23 Redbird Invite. Improving his time at the Bradley Pink Classic to 26:58 to place 261st for the UNI Panthers. At the MVC Championships, Dut ran a time of 28:29 to finish in 82nd place back in October.
- Junior Brady Griebel, earning College Sports Communicators Academic All-District in the 2022-23 Cross Country season. Records UNI’s second finisher at the 2022-23 Gans Creek Classic by landing in 118th place with a personal time of 25:25 in the 8K. Ran a time of 25:45 finishing first for the Panther men, 40th place overall at the MVC Championships. Finished in 172nd place at the NCAA Regionals in a time of 32:29 in the 10k race. Griebel marks third or better among UNI runners in all five events including second or better in all 8K competitions.
southern Illinois
- Women - 5th
- The Salukis are returning Rachel Anderson, Stephanie Anthonies, Claire Ayers, Ansley Bailey, Tabitha Bevan, Ellie Hall, and Brianna Nieset on the women's side.
- Men - 5th
- On the men's, SIU will return Josh Delgado, Uriah Guthrie, Weston Jokerst, Ethan Senti, Dawson Smith, and Vincent Van Eck.
Valparaiso
- Men - 8th
- The Valpo men will look to build on the highest NCAA Regional finish in program history during the 2022 campaign as Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Vincent Walker returns for his second season leading the team. A pair of Valpo mainstays in Eric Carothers and Ignacio Veloz Bonilla departed via graduation, but the returning core is led by seniors Simeon Ehm and Evan Walda, both of whom own times that rank in the top 10 in program history.
- Women - 11th
- The Valpo women bring back several talented veterans including seniors Grace Aurand, Joely Overstreet and Ellie Roeglin. Aurand posted the sixth-fastest 6K time in program history at last season's Bradley Pink Classic. The squad has also added several newcomers including Florida Gulf Coast transfer Reilly Ritter.