SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – In a tournament field that included two nationally ranked teams and a handful of high-major conference schools, the Illinois State Redbirds climbed two positions into ninth at the Desert Mountain Collegiate.
The Redbirds finished the tournament with a three-day 896 (298 – 302 – 296) to finish in a tie of ninth alongside Louisiana Monroe. The 'Birds finished ahead of Nebraska, UTEP, South Dakota State, Central Michigan, UConn, and DePaul, and just behind USC, Miami (Ohio), and Lipscomb. Nationally ranked Mississippi State (22nd) took home the top honors in the field, while Michigan placed second and 42nd-ranked Little Rock took third.