The University of Illinois Springfield men's cross country team delivered a strong performance at the 2024 NCAA Midwest Regional Championship in Romeoville, Ill., securing a 9th-place finish. This result extends the team's streak of top-10 finishes in every regional meet since 2018, underscoring the program's consistent strength in the Midwest region.

Race Recap

• Briar Nevills led the Prairie Stars with an impressive time of 31:41 for 24th-place finish, earning All-Region honors. His steady performance throughout the race made him the top UIS finisher and a key contributor to the team's success
• Sophomore Joey Karlesky followed in 51st place with a time of 32:13, holding off strong competition to maintain his position in the middle of the pack.
• Ryan Jones, one of the most seasoned 10k runners in the program's history, competed in his final regional championship and placed 59th with a time of 32:22
• Balin Doud finished 73rd with a time of 32:37, while Isaac Cortes was right behind in 74th at 32:39, completing the scoring pack for UIS 
• Zach Panek (108th) and Noah Tegeler (114th) rounded out the UIS squad, with Panek finishing at 33:20 and Tegeler at 33:26, helping add depth to the team's performance 
• The team boasted an average 10k time of 32:18 and a spread of just 57 seconds for their top five runners 
   

Results

Place	Student-Athlete	Result (10k)
24	Briar Nevills	31:41
51	Joey Karlesky	32:13
59	Ryan Jones	32:22
73	Balin Doud	32:37
74	Isaac Cortes	32:39
110	Zach Panek	33:20
116	Noah Tegeler	32:26

Grand Valley State claimed the team championship, with Lewis finishing as the top GLVC team and Michigan Tech securing the final automatic team bid. Individually, Evan Horgan of Lewis captured the regional title.

The top three teams, along with two individuals not on those teams, secured automatic bids to the national championship, while other teams and individual runners will await potential at-large selections. The full national championship field will be announced on Monday, Nov. 11.