The Illinois Springfield men's cross country team encountered a challenging field at the Lewis Crossover on Saturday morning, finishing 17th out of 36 teams with a total of 520 points. The Prairie Stars faced several nationally ranked teams, including No. 3 Colorado School of Mines, No. 4 Grand Valley State, No. 10 Lewis, and No. 16 Biola.
Race Summary
- Leading the Prairie Stars was Isaac Cortes, who finished 46th overall with a time of 24:45
- Cortes was followed closely by Briar Nevills, who crossed the line at 25:15, securing 100th place
- Ryan Jones also had a solid performance, finishing in 25:24 for 120th place
- The team's results continued with Brock Loftus finishing 132nd in 25:28, and Joey Karlesky running 25:33 for 141st to round out the team's scoring runners
- Matt Padilla followed shortly after, clocking in at 25:35 for 150th place
- Dom Cantarini was the team's top freshman, running 24:46 for 182nd as the seven runner
- UIS finished 17th in a large field, trailing 12 teams ranked in the USTFCCCA's national top 30
- Against conference rivals, UIS fell to Lewis but achieved victories over Missouri S&T and Indianapolis
- The team averaged 25:16 for the eight kilometer race, with a nine-second spread between its third and seventh runners
| Place | Student-Athlete | Time (8k) |
| 46 | Isaac Cortes | 25:49 |
| 100 | Briar Nevills | 25:15 |
| 120 | Ryan Jones | 25:24 |
| 132 | Brock Loftus | 25:28 |
| 141 | Joey Karlesky | 25:33 |
| 150 | Matt Padilla | 25:35 |
| 182 | Dom Cantarini | 25:46 |
| 202 | Aidan Donohue | 25:54 |
| 211 | Noah Tegeler | 25:56 |
| 224 | Brendan Cairney | 26:09 |
| 232 | Zach Panek | 26:15 |
| 250 | Nathan DeMarb | 26:22 |
Up Next
A squad of Prairie Stars will compete at the Bradley Pink Classic at Newman Golf Course in Peoria, Ill., on Oct. 18.