TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Seniors Kellyn Johnson and Scott Reed each returned to form for their respective teams at the highly competitive NCAA Pre-National Meet hosted by Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind.

The Shocker women placed 24th as a team in the White Race, while the men competed in the non-scored open race. The NCAA Pre-National consists of six races (three men's and three women's) including a White Race, Blue Race, and an Open race.

"Our women ran a tough race today," Head Coach Marc Burns said. "I am proud of the way they competed, but we have not put it all together yet. We will be looking to crack the code in the two weeks to battle for the MVC title. Our ladies are excited about the challenge."

Johnson earned a top-20 finish, completing the 6,000-meter course in 20 minutes, 55 seconds, nearly a minute ahead of teammate Irene Kosgei. Kosgei placed 98th with a time of 21:54, while senior Kimber Lemon was eight seconds back in 114th.

"Kellyn (Johnson) really stepped up today and showed us that she is back and ready to make the next step in the coming weeks," Burns said.

For the men, Scott Reed also collected a top-20 finish, placing 16th in the men's Open race. Reed covered the 8K course in 25:09.1, while freshman Trace Kendrick was the next Shocker across the line in 32nd place (25:26).

"Our men made a huge step in the right direction today," Burns said. "I am really excited to see so many guys running the best they have over eight kilometers. This is a team that wants and expects to get better each race and make the next step up in the MVC meet in two weeks."

Bryce Forward was 69th in 26:08 and Jake Stecklein was 87th with a time of 26:30.

The Shockers next meet is the Missouri Valley Conference Championships in Springfield, Mo., on Nov. 1. The Shocker women are the three-time defending conference team champions and return individual champion Kellyn Johnson and all-MVC performers Kimber Lemon and Olivia Martinez. The Shocker men will look to improve upon their six-place team finish at the 2007 MVC Championships.