Evansville, Ind. ? Sophomore Chris George (Normal, Ill./University) shaved 55 seconds off of his season-best time in leading Bradley's men while junior Sarah Westrick (Livonia, Mich./Winston Churchill) was the top women's finisher for the Braves in a time 40 seconds faster than her previous low time at the 2005 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championships hosted by the University of Evansville.
Bradley's men claimed sixth place overall (165 points) over the 8K course, one spot better than their pre-race selection by MVC coaches, and posted seven best times for the fall.
Chris George led the way for the Braves on fast UE Cross Country Course in a season-best 25:02. For George, it was his third consecutive race with a top time of the fall which has seen a remarkable 1:51 drop in time.
Freshman Pat Greene (Joliet, Ill./Plainfield South), sophomore Nick Palumbo (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) and freshman Nathan Ahart (Chesterfield, Mo./Parkway Central) packed together and finished with ten seconds of each other to take home top-40 finishes for the Braves.
Greene topped his 8K, 2005 best by 1:07, Palumbo by 1:05 and Ahart improved by 52 seconds in Evansville.
Junior Abe Ramirez (Athens, Ill./Athens) rounded out the scorers for the Braves in 26:04, placing 44th overall.
Indiana State's men took home the trophy with 35 points while Drake (75), Southern Illinois (104) and Missouri State (118) rounded out the top four.
Sarah Westrick once again was the top runner for the Braves on the women's side.
Westrick led a group of seven Bradley runners that posted their top times of the fall at the UE Cross Country Course by knocking 40 seconds off her previous best 5K time, finishing in 29th place overall in 18:20
Freshman Katie Nowak (Lake Avon, Ohio/Lake Avon) finished in 18:38, a 26 second improvement, and claimed 36th overall.
Sophomore Ainslie Schultz (Forest City, Iowa/Forest City), sophomore Bekah Aavang (Huntley/Ill./Huntley) and junior Marcia Backstrom (Minonk, Ill./Fieldcrest) clocked fall-best times for the Braves, who finished in seventh place overall (190 points).
Wichita State lived up to their pre-race favorite status, winning with 37 points and outdistancing Missouri State (74) and Southern Illinois (96).
Next up for the Braves is NCAA Regional competition in Iowa City, Iowa hosted by the University of Iowa on Nov. 12, 2005.
