Lincoln, Neb. ? Junior Chris George (Normal, Ill./University H.S) and senior Sarah Westrick (Livonia, Mich./Winston Churchill) led the Bradley men's and women's cross country teams to sixth-place finishes in their respective races at the 2006 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championships in Lincoln, Neb.
George finished the 8-kilometer course in 25:39.75, good enough for 12th-place overall, while Westrick finished the 5-kilometer course in 18:33.05 to finish15th-place.
On the men's side, Indiana State won the men's race, with a total of 50 points. Drake took second-place with 63 points, while Southern Illinois finishing third (71) and Wichita State capturing fourth with 121 points. Southern Illinois' Mohamed Mohamed won the individual title, finishing with a time of 24:56.85.
Junior Nick Palumbo (McHenry, Ill./McHenry H.S.) was the Braves second runner to cross the line, clocking 26:33.65 to finish 29th.Sophomore Nathan Ahart (Chesterfield, Mo./Parkway Central) finished in 32nd-place with a time of 26:37.55. Junior Nathan Leech (Fremont, Neb./Fremont) was right behind him in 33rd with a time of 26:38.15. Patrick Greene (Joliet, Ill./Plainfield South) was 46th at 27:09.80 and Drew Cisel (Morton, Ill./Illinois Central) finished 61st at 28:12.95 to round out the top six finishers for the Braves.
On the women's side, Wichita State finished in first-place with 38 points and was followed by Southern Illinois in second at 80 points and Missouri State in third with 83 points. Northern Iowa took fourth with 90 points. Drake's Ashley Anklam crossed the line first with a time of 17:36.80 to take top individual honors and followed by Wichita State's Chelsie Baldwin at 17:40.30.
Freshman Rachel Brubaker (Davis, Ill./Durand H.S.) was Bradley's second finisher in 28th-place with a time of 19:01.95. Junior Ainslie Schultz (Forest City, Iowa/Forest City) was right behind her in 29th-place with a time of 19:04.25. A wave of Bradley runners followed with Tracy Lotter (Winnebago, Ill./Winnebago) 39th at 19:26.30, Katie Nowak (Avon Lake, Ohio/Avon Lake) 46th at 19:40.45, Shelby Lile (Jefferson City, Mo./Jefferson City) 57th at 20:00.40 and Melanie Glander (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) 69th at 20:51.90.
Both the men's and women's cross country teams are back in action Saturday, November 11 when Bradley heads to the NCAA Cross Country Regionals in Minneapolis, Minn.
