ISU Nike XC Town Twilight 

Friday, October 2 

5:00 P.M. at Terre Haute, IN (LaVern Gibson XC Course) 

*Results will be posted at the conclusion of the meet* 


The Eastern Illinois men's and women's cross-country teams return to action Friday, October 2, as the Panthers travel to Terre Haute, Indiana, to compete in the ISU XC Nike Town Twilight hosted by Indiana State.  

The Panthers will join a competitive field featuring teams from across the country, including Indiana State, Southern Illinois Edwardsville, Southeast Missouri, Southern Indiana, Austin Peay, Texas Tech, Baylor's women's team, and several other collegiate programs. 

The meet will take place at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, with the competition scheduled to begin with the Women (6k) at 5:00 p.m. and Men (8k) at 5:45 p.m.  

ON THE COURSE: The Panthers enter the meet looking to build on their performances at the ISU Redbird Invitational on September 18, where both the EIU men's and women's teams finished fourth. 

On the women's side, Avery Braker led the Panthers at the Redbird Invitational, finishing 17th overall in the 6K with a time of 22:37.0. Chloe Proffitt followed in 23rd at 23:31.4, while Ashlyn Denney finished 24th with a time of 23:31.7. 

Braker has continued to be one of the Panthers' top runners during the 2026 season after opening the year with a strong performance at the Walt Crawford Open. She finished fourth individually in that meet's 5K. 

For the EIU men, Cale Smith leads a group of experienced runners into Terre Haute. Smith is a returning All-OVC performer after earning second-team honors in 2025. He finished 12th at the 2025 OVC Championship with an 8K time of 24:45.0. 

Jiberil Lesman also returns for EIU after earning a spot on the OVC preseason watch list. He has finished strong in the last couple of meetings. As only a sophomore Lesman has proven himself that he can compete with some strong opponents and keep up with experienced runners.  

LOOKING AHEAD: The Nike Town Twilight will give both EIU squads another opportunity to compete against a strong field as the Panthers continue their preparation for the Ohio Valley Conference Championship, which is scheduled for October 30 at the Osage Centre in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. 

Following the trip to Terre Haute, EIU will compete at the Bradley Pink Classic on October 16 before closing out the regular season.