NCAA Midwest Regionals
Friday, November 13
At Ames, Iowa (Iowa State Cross Country Course)
*Results will be posted after the conclusion of the meet*
The Eastern Illinois men's and women's cross-country teams prepare for one of their last meet of the season as the Panthers travel to Ames, Iowa on Friday November 13 to compete at the NCAA Midwest Regionals. The meet is hosted by Iowa State, and the meet will take place at the Iowa State Cross Country Course.
The Panthers will compete against them. The meet will also provide an opportunity for EIU runners to earn race with some very experienced runners and end their season off on a good note, as some are heading into the 2026-2027 track season.
ON THE COURSE: The Panthers enter the NCAA Midwest regionals following a season of competition that included the Walt Crawford Open, the ISU Redbird Invitational, the Indiana State Nike XC Town Twilight, Bradley Pink Classic, and the OVC Conference Championship. Eastern Illinois will look to use the experience gained throughout the season as the team takes on a very competitive field.
WOMEN'S TEAM: On the women's side, Sophie Krueger has been one of the Panthers' leading runners throughout the 2026 season. Krueger did not compete at the beginning of the season due to injury, but when she returned to the course she wasted no time making an impact. Krueger finished 24th at the OVC Conference Championship meet with a time of 22:25.59. Avery Braker was next finishing in 30th place with a time of 22:46.14 and then Macie Russell was right behind her finishing in 32nd place with a time of 22:47.43.
The EIU women will look to build on their 6th place finish at the 2026 OVC Championships, where the Panthers recorded 142 points. Krueger and Braker are among the runners looking to help EIU make another strong showing against the conference field.
MEN'S TEAM: For the men's team, Cale Smith and Jiberil Lesman leads the men's squad into Regionals. At the OVC Conference Championships, Lesman finished 22nd in the field with a time of 25:29.81. Smith finished shortly behind in 27th place with a time of 25: 48.30. Finishing up, the top five runners for the EIU men's team were Miteku Branch, Phillip Canopy, and Kasen Blain. Branch finished 30th with a time of 25:59.04, Canopy finished 41st with a time of 26:48.71, and then Blain was right behind Canopy finishing 42nd at 26:50.35.
The EIU men finished 5th overall at the 2026 OVC Championships with 97 points. Smith, Lesman, and the rest of the Panthers will look to improve on that result as they compete at the NCAA Midwest Regionals.
LOOKING AHEAD: The OVC Championships will serve as a major test for both EIU squads as the Panthers look to close out their 2026 season with strong individual and team performances. After Regionals, the Panthers will look forward to the 2026-2027 indoor track season.
