The Illinois men’s cross-country team’s hope of continuing its season ended Friday when it failed to finish in the top two of the NCAA Midwest Regional. The team took fifth place out of 29 teams in the 10K race at Bradley in Peoria, Illinois.

Oklahoma State and Tulsa finished first and second, respectively, locking spots for NCAA Nationals. Senior Kirubel Errasa of Oklahoma State took first overall with a time of 30 minutes, 9 seconds.

The Illini were led by junior Ian Barnett, who ran the race in 30:20, earning himself a 10^th-place finish. Barnett is the only Illini eligible for an at-large bid for Nationals.

Seniors Jannis Toepfer and Bryce Basting also finished in the top 20 for Illinois. Toepfer came in 14^th finishing the race in 30:28 and Basting took 17^th with a time of 30:33.

Sophomore Will Brewster had the fourth-best time for Illinois, completing the race in 30:54 and achieving a 41^st overall finish. Senior Brendan McDonnell, junior Paul Zeman and freshman Garrett Lee finished beyond 50^th place for the Illini. 

Matt can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @MattGertsmeier.