EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Men's Cross Country earned its first U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association ranking at the Division I level Monday afternoon when the Screaming Eagles landed at No. 15 in the latest Great Lakes Region poll.
 
It is the first time the Screaming Eagles have landed in a regional poll since they were No. 5 in the final USTFCCCA Division II Midwest Region rankings of the 2021 season.
 
The 2025 campaign marks the first year that the Screaming Eagles have been eligible to land in the USTFCCCA rankings after USI completed its transition to full Division I status in August.
 
USI is coming off a third-place finish out of 17 teams at the Angel Mounds Invitational this past Friday. Junior Alex Nolan and senior Dominick Beine finished 14th and 15th, respectively, to pace the Screaming Eagles, while freshman Kraedyn Young was 24th out of nearly 200 runners.
 
Michigan State, Butler, Wisconsin and Notre Dame were ranked No. 1-5 in the latest Great Lakes Region rankings, while Ohio State, Purdue, Cincinnati, Toledo and Akron rounded out the top 10. Youngstown State, Oakland, Ohio and Miami (Ohio) were ahead of the Screaming Eagles in this week's rankings.
 
The Great Lakes Region is comprised of schools from Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.
 
USI, which earned a win against a perennial Great Lakes regionally ranked squad in IU Indianapolis last week, was the only Ohio Valley Conference team to earn a spot in the regional rankings. USI also earned a win last week over fellow OVC member UT Martin, which was 14th in the USTFCCCA South Region poll during the last two rankings.
 
The Screaming Eagles return to the grass October 31 when they defend their conference title at the OVC Championships in Charleston, Illinois. The men's eight-kilometer race is scheduled for 9 a.m., while the women's 6k is set to begin at 10 a.m.