FULL RELEASE
MVC Male Cross Country Athlete of the Week
Kyle Mattes, Senior, Elmhurst, Ill. - Illinois State
Racing against the top competition in the country at Saturday’s NCAA Pre-Nationals, hosted by Wisconsin, Mattes proved that he is no stranger to competing on the national stage, capturing an 8K personal-best and moving up the Illinois State record books. A 2017 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship qualifier, Mattes crossed the finish line in 24:18.70 to finish 29th among 232 student-athletes in the 8K White Race. Not only is his mark the top 8K time in the Valley so far this season, but it is the fifth-fastest time in ISU Cross Country history. With Mattes leading the Redbird brigade, ISU was able to defeat 10 USTFCCCA regionally-ranked opponents, including Stony Brook (No. 4 in the Northeast), Liberty (No. 6 in the Southeast), and MVC-foe Indiana State (No. 11 in the Great Lakes).
MVC Female Cross Country Athlete of the Week
Lindsey Brewis, RS Senior, Dearborn, Mich. - Loyola
Loyola redshirt senior Lindsey Brewis was the top Missouri Valley Conference finisher in the women’s 6k red race at the Bradley Pink Classic in Peoria, Ill. last Friday. The Dearborn, Mich. native clocked a time of 20:45.8 to finish fifth overall as she led the Maroon & Gold to an impressive eighth-place finish in the final team standings. Brewis, the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Female Cross Country Athlete of the Year, has been the first Rambler across the finish line in all three meets that she has seen action in this season.
Other notable performances:
MEN
Jake Hoffert - Bradley
Jake Hoffert led the Braves at the 2018 Ideal Rentals Bradley Pink Classic, finishing seventh overall in an 8k time of 24:39.1. The junior led the Braves to their first team title at their home meet since 2013, while just missing his PR by less than five seconds.
Kyle Brandt - Drake
Was Drake’s top finisher at the Bradley Pink Classic with a time of 25:06.0 over the 8-kilometer course ... his time was enough to earn a 20th overall finish on a rainy, muddy course against a field with 273 athletes ... his time was a 1:08.3 improvement from his time on the same course last year.
Stanley Chepchieng - Evansville
Closing out the regular season, junior Stanley Chepchieng put together the strongest time of his Aces’ career. At the UE Invitational hosted by Evansville, Chepchieng improved upon his 8-kilometer PR by more than 15 seconds, finishing 21st in a time of 26:55.2, and helping Evansville to a fourth-place team finish. The Kabarnet, Kenya native set a PR for the third-straight week after setting a four-mile PR at the Austin Peay Cross Country Festival and an 8k PR at the Fast Cats Classic.
Akis Medrano - Indiana State
Akis Medrano, the Boswell, Ind. native, once again led the Indiana State men at the Pre-National meet in the 8K White Race, racing well against multiple All-Americans through 6K and placing 47th overall with a time of 24:36.00, his best time of the season.
Josh Maier – Southern Illinois
Redshirt senior Josh Maier was the top NCAA DI finisher at the Bradley Classic Friday. Maier placed third overall in a field of 273 runners with an 8k time of 24:34.1. The field featured 12 USTFCCCA regionally ranked teams and seven Missouri Valley Conference teams with eight of the top-10 individual times in the Valley this season. Maier has the second-best 8K time in the Valley heading into the 2018 MVC Cross Country Championships.
Alexander Bruno - Valparaiso
Recorded another team first at the Bradley Pink Classic and finished just outside the top 20 at 22nd overall, in 25:09.8 (8k). Top teams in the men’s race included Bradley, Grand Valley St., Illinois, and Saint Louis.
WOMEN
Gabby Juarez - Bradley
Junior Gabby Juarez led the Braves at the Ideal Rentals Bradley Pink Classic on Friday, registering her career-best time in a 6K race at 21:25.0 – topping her previous PR by more than 10 seconds. Juarez, who also posted the fourth-best time by a Brave at their home meet – led BU to the top team finish among eight Valley schools at the meet.
Olivia Rogers - Drake
Was Drake’s top women’s finisher with a time of 22:18.3 over 6-kilometers … her time was enough to earn her a 108th overall finish on a rainy, muddy course against a field with 298 athletes … her time was an 1:27.7 improvement from her time on the same course last year.
Anna Lowry - Evansville
For the fourth-time this season, sophomore Anna Lowry paced the Aces. Competing at the Fast Cats Classic in Owensboro, Ky., Lowry picked-up a third-place finish in a 5k time of 18:28, helping lead Evansville to its third-straight team victory. The Aces won the meet with 35 total points, holding a 36-point margin over the second-place finishing team.
Audrey Janik – Illinois State
Competing against the nation’s top-talent at Saturday’s NCAA Pre-Nationals, hosted by Wisconsin, Janik led the ISU women for the second-consecutive meet. Racing in the 6K Cardinal Race, she gained momentum as the race went on, passing 43 runners over the middle 2K of the race to eventually finish 136th (out of 234 runners) with a personal-best time of 22:04.38. Due largely in part to Janik’s effort, the Redbirds were able to defeat a pair of USTFCCCA regionally-ranked opponents in Baylor (No. 9 in the South Central) and Charlotte (No. 14 in the Southeast).
Brooke Moore - Indiana State
Redshirt junior Brooke Moore led the way for the Sycamore women at the Pre-National Invitational in the 6K White Race. Moore ran well, placing 73rd overall among the nation’s best with a time of 21:32.60.
Grace Breiten – Missouri State
Grace Breiten led the way for the Bears at the Bradley Pink Classic, finishing 30th in the packed regionally-ranked Red Race. Breiten marked a 21:28.0 six-kilometer time, which is the ninth fastest 6K in Missouri State cross country history. The Chesterfield, Mo., native has led the way for the Bears in all four meets this season.
Megan Krolak – Southern Illinois
Megan Krolak continues to set the pace for the Salukis, as she ran the 6k in 21:51.4 to finish 53rd at the Bradley Classic. She was the sixth Missouri Valley Conference runner to cross the finish line Friday.
Katherine Germann - Valparaiso
Broke into the top 10 in program history (6th overall to be exact) with her 6k 22:32.7 finish at the Bradley Pink Classic on Saturday. Top teams included Iowa State, South Dakota, Illinois, and Grand Valley St.