EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Men's Cross Country outperformed its regional ranking in its first-ever trip to the NCAA Division I post-season. The Screaming Eagles raced to a 13th-place finish out of 30 teams at the Great Lakes Region Championships at Angel Mounds Historical Site Friday.
 
The Screaming Eagles, who were 15th in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association Great Lakes Regional Poll, had four runners finish in the top 100 of the 210-competitor field as they finished with 397 points. USI was just 63 points away from a top 10 finish and was fourth among Indiana teams.
 
Notre Dame and Butler finished first and second, respectively, to punch their tickets to the NCAA I National Championships, while Wisconsin, Michigan State and Michigan rounded out the top five teams.
 
Senior Dominick Beine was the Screaming Eagles' top finisher as he crossed the finish line in 58th place with a 10-kilometer time of 31 minutes, 46.9 seconds. Junior Alex Nolan was 61st with a time of 31:51.6.
 
Junior Landen Swiney and freshman Carson Brown had strong performances as Swiney was 76th and Brown 93rd. Freshman Kraedyn Young and junior Cole Hess were 113th and 121st, respectively, while sophomore Andrew Smith rounded out the Screaming Eagles' lineup with a 143rd-place finish.
 
Cincinnati's Nickson Kogei won the race with a time of 29:42.8, while Butler senior Jesse Hamlin was second in 29:43.2.
 
Friday's meet marked the first time since 2021 that the Screaming Eagles have competed in a regional. USI was not allowed to compete at regionals during their transition to full-time Division I status.
 
USI begins its 2025-26 indoor track & field season December 6th when it competes at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener in Boston, Massachusetts. The Screaming Eagles also are scheduled to race at the Indiana Eary Bird in Bloomington December 12th before taking a month off over the holiday break.