Indiana State University's cross country teams delivered multiple program-best performances last Friday, hosting the Under Armour Pre-National Invitational at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country course in Terre Haute. Seven Sycamores achieved top 20 times in program history, with multiple runners also recording career-best runs during the late regular-season meet. The event drew collegiate runners to the Terre Haute course, considered a prominent venue in the college running world.
On the women’s side, senior Brittany Burak made program history by becoming the first Sycamore to complete the 6K race at LaVern Gibson in under 21 minutes, finishing with a time of 20:59.9. Senior Hadley Gradolf also recorded a top five time in program history at the course for the 6K event, completing it in 21:20.8. Gradolf was among the seven Sycamore runners who secured top 20 times in the program's history during Friday's competition.
Further contributing to the women's team's strong showing, senior Halle Miller and sophomore Eve Schurr both registered top 15 program times ever in the 6K. Miller finished her race in 21:53.2, while Schurr broke the 22-minute mark for the first time in her career in the 6K, achieving a time of 21:55.4. Freshman Katy Green also posted a top 15 time in program history, completing the 6K event in 22:06.4.
For the men’s team, graduate student Emerson Faymen led the individual efforts with an 8K run of 24:30.7. This achievement marked the second-fastest 8K run in program history specifically at the LaVern Gibson course. The remainder of the men’s team competed in the white division, where they secured a fourth-place finish out of 16 participating teams. Junior Brandon Mueller was a key contributor to this top-five team placement, completing his 8K event in 24:59.9, which earned him a 20th-place finish in that race. Senior Ryan Handy also achieved a top 40 finish, completing his 8K race in 25:10.4.
Following these successful home performances, the Sycamores are now preparing for postseason play. Their next competition will be the Missouri Valley Conference Championships, which will take place in Des Moines, Iowa, at the end of this month. On that Friday, the women's race is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m., followed by the men’s race set to start at 12:30 p.m.
