Bradley University Athletics

Ward Places 71st at NCAA Cross Country Championship

Kyle Terwillegar/USTFCCCA

2016 NCAA Championships Men's Cross Country Results

Men's Cross Country 11/19/2016 4:00:00 PM

Junior Michael Ward (Cardiff, South Wales) became the first member of the Bradley men's cross country to compete at the NCAA Championship on Saturday, placing 71st of 251 runners at the Division I National Championship in Terre Haute, Indiana.

The junior capped one of the best seasons in school history by finishing in the top third at Saturday's championship race, completing the 10K course in a time of 30:41.9. Ward earned the team's first-ever invitation by placing ninth at last weekend's NCAA Midwest Regional – the highest finish in school history at the regional meet.

"It was a very solid performance from Michael today," said Bradley head coach Darren Gauson. "The goal was to be in the top 65, so to finish 71 in a national championship is a very good performance. He put himself in good positions throughout the race. Unfortunately, he got pushed after the 1K mark. So, he had to get up and move through. It was a great experience, however, as a junior and we hope that this will help him and the team in the future."

Ward was named to the All-Midwest Region after his ninth-place last weekend. The junior also earned first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference accolades for the second-straight year after posting the best result by a Brave in 51 years, placing second. Overall, the junior led the Bradley program to its second-straight conference title, a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional (best result in school history) and helped the Braves receive votes in the national rankings for the first time in its history.

Patrick Tiernan of Villanova claimed the individual title with a time of 29:22.0, while Northern Arizona won the team championship, outpointing Stanford, 125-158.

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Players Mentioned

Michael Ward: Junior

Players Mentioned

Michael Ward
: Junior