FULL RELEASE
MVC Male Cross Country Athlete of the Week
Akis Medrano, Senior, Boswell, Ind. - Indiana State
Akis Medrano put on a spectacular performance to lead the Indiana State men to a second-place finish in the 8K race on a sunny Saturday at the John McNichols Invite. The Boswell, Ind. native ran neck-and-neck with the top-two Purdue runners and ultimately finished third overall with a time of 24:59.0, which is the best 8K time in the Missouri Valley Conference. His time tied Geoff Wayton for the 14th-best Sycamore 8K time at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course. This was his second consecutive top-three finish of the season.
MVC Female Cross Country Athlete of the Week
Lindsey Brewis, RS Sr., Dearborn, Mich. - Loyola
Redshirt senior Lindsey Brewis picked up right where she left off last season as she rolled to a comfortable victory in her 2018 debut at the Illinois State Invitational in Normal, Ill. on Friday. Out of Dearborn, Mich., Brewis, the MVC’s reigning Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year, claimed individual medalist honors after clocking in at 17:27.6 (5K), besting her next closest competitor by over 30 seconds. Bolstered by Brewis’ efforts, the Rambler women finished second overall in the final team standings, behind only Missouri.
Other notable performances:
MEN
Will Anderson - Bradley
In his first race in two years, junior Will Anderson edged out teammate Michael Ward to win the 2018 Bradley Intercollegiate – his first career cross country title. On a hot day with the temperature over 80 degrees, Anderson ran the 8K course in 24:59.5 – shaving more than 26 seconds off his previous collegiate-best time. The junior, who posted the eighth-fastest time by a Brave in the 32nd running of the meet, also led the Braves to a team title with a near-perfect 16 points.
Kevin Koski - Illinois State
At Friday’s Illinois State Invitational in Normal, Illinois, Koski helped the Redbirds win the meet and defend their home course, notching victories over multiple ranked opponents. Koski was the first Redbird to complete the 8K circuit in a personal-best 25:18.00, helping ISU take down regionally-ranked (No. 10) Missouri, MVC foe Loyola, and Division III perennial powerhouse and defending national champion North Central. Not only was Koski’s time good for fourth overall, but it is currently the seventh-fastest 8K time in the Valley so far this season.
Derek Rink - Loyola
For the second time in as many weeks, junior Derek Rink paced the attack as the Ramblers competed at the Illinois State Invitational this past Friday in Normal, Ill. The Appleton, Wis. product checked in at 25:41.7, shaving 25 seconds off his 8k time from the previous week, to finish 12th overall. Loyola came in fifth in the final team standings.
Wal Khat - UNI
Wal Khat led the Panthers, finishing seventh in 25:21.30 . UNI finished second behind Bradley at the Brady Intercollegiate Championship.
Josh Maier - Southern Illinois
Josh Maier was the top finisher for the Saluki men at the Commodore Classic in Nashville, Tenn. The redshirt senior took 24th overall in a field of 138 runners in the 8K race. The redshirt senior cut six seconds off his time from last year after he ran 25:48 to help SIU’s men finish ahead of regionally ranked Clemson in ninth.
Alexander Bruno - Valparaiso
Finished in fifth place in the Bradley Intercollegiate, with a time of 25:14.5. His time at the meet was the eighth fastest in program history, and the fastest recorded time by a Valpo runner since 2001.
WOMEN
Gabby Juarez - Bradley
After redshirting the 2017 season, junior Gabby Juarez made a triumphant return to the Bradley cross country team with a first-place finish at the 2018 Bradley Intercollegiate. The junior raced past Northern Iowa’s Mckayla Cole down the stretch run to earn her first collegiate cross country individual title, running the three-mile course in 17:02.1 – more than three seconds ahead of second place. Juarez’s time is more than 28 seconds better than her previous career-best mark at Peoria’s Detweiller Park.
Rachel Hickey - Illinois State
Competing in her first collegiate 5K at Friday’s Illinois State Invitational in Normal, Illinois, Hickey posted a top-10 finish, helping ISU to a third-place team finish. Hickey was the first Redbird to cross the finish line in 18:26.50, placing tenth overall. Her time, which propelled the ‘Birds to victories over Eastern Illinois and UIC, currently sits fourth in the Valley so far this season.
Alli Workman - Indiana State
Junior Alli Workman put on a strong performance in the 5K for the Sycamores at the John McNichols Invitational, leading the way and crossing the line with a time of 18:16.6 for a sixth-place finish among all runners. She helped the Sycamores to a fourth-place team finish and her time is the fourth-best time by a Sycamore runner at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course.
Grace Breiten - Missouri State
Grace Breiten recorded the second fastest 5-kilometer race in the Missouri Valley Conference on the weekend. Breiten’s 17:38.2 career best 5K time marked the 13th fastest 5K in program history and earned her fourth place at the Missouri Southern Stamped (Sept. 15). Breiten’s finish helped the Bears improve their spot by almost 100 team points.
McKayla Cole - UNI
McKayla Cole (17 minutes, 5.5 seconds) led the Panthers with a second-place finish. UNI defeated MVC favorite Bradley on their home course.
Megan Krolak - Southern Illinois
Megan Krolak was the top finisher for the Saluki women at the Commodore Classic in Nashville, Tenn. The redshirt junior finished the 5K in 18:33 to place 43rd in a crowded field of 186 runners.
Katherine Germann - Valparaiso
Finished in 10th place in the Bradley Intercollegiate, leading the Valpo team for the second straight race, finishing in 17:47.0.