PEORIA, ILL. -- The Drake men's cross country team couldn't overcome sloppy conditions at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Champion Saturday.

The Bulldogs finished a disappointing sixth in the final team standings. Indiana State edged Southern Illinois, 32-33, to win the title.

Sophomore Derek Campbell (Sycamore, Ill.) led Drake by finishing 25th on the wet and muddy 8,000-meter course in 27 minutes 37 seconds.

"Our guys really didn't respond well to the course conditions and it showed in our team place," said Drake coach Dan Hostager. "We ended up ahead of a Wichita State team that had beaten us earlier in the season, but nowhere near where we expected to finish.

"But we've got the type of guys who will use this performance to motivate them for their training in the weeks and months ahead."

Drake senior Jeff Grassmeyer (Fremont, Neb.) was 34th in 27:59, while sophomore Colin Hagan (Wichita, Kan.) was 36th in 28:00. Senior Zac Bales-Henry (Des Moines, Iowa) was 38th in 28:05 and junior Mike Bumgarner (Rosemount, Minn.) was 39th in 28:08.

Sophomore Ben Jaskowiak  (Madison, Wis.) was 43rd in 28:12. Drake junior Adam Oestreich (Bettendorf, Iowa) finished 49th in 28:42 and sophomore Josh Buschling (Washington, Mo.) was 59th in 29.09.

Drake will travel to Springfield, Mo., to compete in the NCAA Midwest Regional Saturday, Nov. 14. Missouri State will host the event, which features 33 Division I teams from nine different states.

Final Team Scoring
1. Indiana State 32; 2. Southern Illinois 33; 3. Illinois State 74; 4. Northern Iowa 120; 5. Bradley 142; 6. Drake 163; 7. Wichita State 213; 8. Evansville 213; 9. Creighton 256.