The University of Northern Iowa hosts the 2024 MVC Cross Country Championship in Cedar Falls, Iowa on November 1st, at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course. The women will race a 6K at 10:30 a.m. CT followed by the men's 8K race at 11:30 a.m. CT.
Bradley and Belmont have been predicted to take home the Missouri Valley Conference cross country championship titles in 2024 in a pre-championship vote by the head coaches. For the women, the Braves earned the favorite spot among the coaches with twelve first-place votes followed by a tie between Belmont and Indiana State at 40 points a team. For the men, the Bruins claimed the top spot with a strong seven first-place votes for 17 total points edging out Illinois State's two first-place votes and, Bradley and Drake's one first-place vote each.
BRADLEY
Bradley began the 2024 season strong, taking both men's 6K and women's 4K team titles at the Hawkeye Invitational on Aug. 30 and the Bradley Intercollegiate on Sept. 20. Junior Nadia Potgieter earned her first win of the season as the women's team placed all eight runners in the top 20 in Iowa. Crull's 17:50.0 time in Iowa City earned him the first of, to this point, three MVC Men's Runner of the Week awards this season. Rosslee's second-place finish came in 23:46.08, good for the fastest Bradley-run 8K time in Pink Classic history. Potgieter's second-place finish marked a new career-best in the 6K discipline and was the second-fastest 6K time run in Bradley history.
BELMONT
Rachel Soukup has broken the Belmont school record in the 5K twice this season for the Bruin Women. She ran 16:52.23 at the Southern Showcase and 16:47.7 at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational. Brooke Garter also broke the previous school record of 17:05 that was held by Keely Weaver Corlew at the Southern Showcase when she ran 17:04.32. On the men's side, At the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational, Carter Cheeseman, Nick Mota, Andrew Hammel, and Zac Shaffer broke the Belmont school record in the 8K. The previous record (held by Jacob McLeod since 2018) was 23:55.9. Carter Cheeseman now holds the Belmont school record in the 8K with a time of 23:29.8. The men’s team took first at the Belmont Opener, second at the Southern Showcase, 13th at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational, and eighth in the “B Race” at Wisconsin Pre-Nationals.
DRAKE
The Bulldog returned to the field after claiming the 2023 MVC Cross Country Championship Team Title. Led by Senior Brogan Giffin after posting his personal best 8K time at the Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational earlier this season with a time of 24:09.0. Junior Aidan Simon also leads the pack of Bulldogs with his best 8K time of 24:09.4, also posted at the Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational where he finished 49th in a field of 140. For the women, freshman Brenna Burak leads the Bulldogs after placing her best 6K time at the Bradley Pink Classic at 20:59.8 for 23rd in the women's red race. Junior Tyla Lumley also returns to the field with a personal best 6K time she set at the Bradley Pink Classic with a time of 20:30.3 for an 8th-place individual finish in the women's red race.
EVANSVILLE
The Aces return to the MVC Cross Country Championships after performing personal best performances at the Angel Mounds Invitational. For the women, the Purple Aces are led by Sophomore Avery Stephens' personal best 6K time of 23:25.4 posted at the Angel Mound Invitational where she placed 51st individually in a field of over 170 competitors. Sophomore Kyndall Athis also leads the purple Ace women with her 6K best time of 24:08.0 also set at the Angel Mounds Invitational with a 70th place individual finish. On the men's side, Sophomore Rafael Rodriguez set his personal best time in the 8K with a time of 24:34.0.Samuel Lea set his personal and season-best time in the 8K with a time of 25:02.4 at the John McNichols Invitational where he finished 31st in a field of over 470 competitors.
UIC
Slated eighth in the women's poll, the Flames are led by Daniela Martinez with her 6K best time of 21:23.2 set at the Bradley Pink Classic. The Flames are also led by Sophmore Praise Oyebanji's 6K best time of 22:13.7 set at the Bradley Pink Classic for a top 130 finish in the women's red race. At fifth in the polls, the Flames men are led by Junior Daniel Chavez set his personal best 8K time of 24:07.0 at the Bradley Pink Classic for 13th individually. Senior Luke Malone also leads the Flames after setting his personal best 8K time earlier this season at the Louisville Classic with a time of 24:19.1 for a 20th-place finish individually.
ILLINOIS STATE
The Redbird men are led by Junior Mathis Chavand after setting a ninth place finishing time of 23:20.9 at the Gans Creek Classic in a field of over 320 competitors. Senior transfer William Sinclair secured his personal best time with the Redbirds at the Gans Creek Classic with a time of 23:32.1. The Redbird men are slated second in the polls by the coaches. For the women, freshman Astrid Van Breedam set her personal best 6K time at the Gans Creek Classic with a time of 21:26.5 earlier this season. Senior Mattison Plummer also returns for the Redbirds with a season-best time set at the Redbirds Invitational in September with a time of 21:31.1. The Redbird women tabbed second third among the coaches.
INDIANA STATE
Sophomore Emma Gresham leads the Sycamores to a tied second place standing with the coaches for the women with a personal best time of 20:35.8 set at the Bradley Pink Classic where she finished 10th overall in a field of over 260 competitors. Junior Erica Barker, also leads the women after finishing 20th overall at the Bradley Pink Classic with a finishing time of 20:56.9. Emerson Fayman leads the Sycamore men to a sixth place standing with the coaches with a personal best 8K time of 24:46.4 set at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational earlier this October. Senior Layton Hall set his personal best 8K time at the Bradley Pink Classic this season with a time of 24:50.8 to lead the Sycamores heading into the MVC Championship.
MISSOURI STATE
Tabbed seventh amongst the coaches in the pre-champsionship polls, the Bears started their cross country season off with a bang. In its opening meet and its home meet, MoState pulled off wins over local opponents and two fellow MVC teams. After that they shifted their focus to take on Power Four opponents and teams that qualified for the national championship. The Bears have been setting new personal records in each meet they have run this year. Two Bears have led the team across the line this season. Mary Margaret Harris led the Bears to victory in their first two races of the year with a fourth-place finish at SEMO and a second-place finish at home. Tabitha Fox has led the way for the other meets including for the first time at Missouri.
MURRAY STATE
The Racer men are led by Freshman Dylan Ellis after placing his personal best 8K time at the Angel Mounds Invitational stopping the clock at 25:46.5. Sophomore Gabe Russell also leads the Racers with an 8K best time of 25:53.2 set at the Angel Mounds Invitational for a 56th individual placing. For the women, Freshman Liz Smith leads the Racers after marking her personal best 6K time at the UT Martin OVC Preview earlier this season. Freshman teammate Autumn Egleston also leads the Racer women with a 6K best time marked at the UT Martin OVC Preview earlier this season with a time of 22:33.0.
NORTHERN IOWA
Tabbed seventh by the coaches, the Panther men are led by Senior Caleb Schumaker after marking his personal best 8K time of 24:15.9 at the Gans Creek Classic where he finished 60th individually in a field of over 320 competitors. Sophomore Carson Owens set his personal best 8K time at the Bradley Pink Classic at 24:38.7 for a 54th-place finish in the men's red race. Tabbed sixth by the coaches on the women's side, Emma Hoins marked a personal best 6K time at the Gans Creek Classic earlier this season, with a time of 21:11.3 alongside teammate Melody Ochana. Ochana also set her personal best 6K time at the same meet with a time of 21:24.6 for a 75th-place individual finish.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
The Saluki men are led by Junior Weston Jokerst with his season-best time of 25:18.4 set at the Gans Creek Classic earlier this season. Uriah Guthrie also leads the Saluki men with a season-best time of 25:30.8 in the men's 8K, set at the Bradley Pink Classic. For the Women, Sophomore Hannah Meiser set her personal best time in the 6K time with a time of 21:30.7 set at the Bradley Pink Classic. Junior Audrey Boles also lead the Salukis with a personal best 6K time of 22:35.5 set at the Gans Creek Classic earlier this season.
VALPARAISO
Redshirt freshman Laetitia Raoult burst onto the scene this fall as a transfer into Valpo's program. The Guingamp, France native finished the 6K in 21:53.7 at the Illinois State Redbird Invite on Sept. 13, placing fourth of 85. Her time was the third fastest in program history and the fastest since 2014. Raoult also cracked the program's all-time top 10 in the 5K at Notre Dame's Joe Piane Invitational, ranking ninth in program history at 18:14.1. Junior Joseph Scheele turned in the top 8K time of the season for the Valpo men on Sept. 27 at the Mizzou Gans Creek Classic. His time of 24:40.1 ranks fourth in program history. Karson Hollander also cracked the program record book in the 8K, finishing the Sept. 13 Redbird Invite in 24:47.50, fifth all-time.
November 15th - Regional Sites:
- Great Lakes - Cleveland, Ohio - hosted by The Mid-American Conference
- Midwest - Peoria, Illinois - hosted by Bradley
- South - Tallahassee, Florida - hosted by Florida State
- Southeast - Rock Hill, South Carolina - hosted by Winthrop