PEORIA, Ill. -- Nearly 900 runners representing 37 universities and colleges will be competing Friday at Newman Golf Course when the Bradley men's and women's cross country teams host the 10th annual Bradley “Pink” Classic.
This year's event, which starts at 3 p.m. with the men's 8K college division/open race, features a new twist with all participants wearing special pink bib numbers on the front of their jerseys in addition to having the option of wearing blank pink bib sheets on their backs, on which the runners can write the names of individuals who have been impacted by breast cancer.
"We are proud to host this very special event,” said Bradley head coach Marc Burns. “The course is in fantastic shape and despite the rain we are getting today should run fast. We lined the course with pink paint and it looks great.”
In addition to the race, Susan G. Komen for the Cure representatives and members of “Team Bradley” will be present in the Tent of Honor. Team Bradley will be distributing Bradley Pink bracelets along with information about the Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure and how to sign up with Team Bradley for the next year's race. In addition, pink Bradley t-shirts will be available for purchase.
“It is very exciting for us to do what we can in our sport to support breast cancer awareness month,” added Burns. “Bradley University President Joanne Glasser will be our starter for the women's championship race at 5:05 p.m. and Gina Kouri (mother of Bradley sophomore runner Michael Kouri) will serve as our starter for the women's open race at 3:40 p.m. Both women are breast cancer survivors and we are honored to have them be a part of the day's activities.”
Both the men's college division/open race and women's 6K college division/open race, which will start at 3:40 p.m., will feature individuals from 13 area colleges and universities in addition to two running clubs.
The championship races are stated to start at 4:25 p.m. with the men's 8K and the women's 6K concludes the day's festivities at 5:05 p.m. The men's championship race includes almost 300 participants from 22 schools and the women's field boasts 24 teams and nearly 350 runners.
Both championship races will feature five squads ranked in the latest USTFCCCA regional polls, including the Bradley women's cross country team which was fifth in the latest Midwest regional rankings.
On the men's side, DePaul senior Eddie McDaniel is the top individual returner after taking ninth with a time of 24:43 at last year's Bradley Classic. Saint Louis senior Margo Richardson is the top returnee from 2012 in the women's championship race. Richardson's time of 20:47 ranks as the fourth best 6K time in Bradley Classic history and was good for third last fall.
Junior Sarah McMahon (Colfax, Wis./Colfax) is coming off a career-best 5K time of 17:33.7 at the Notre Dame Invitational two weeks ago and was 20th at last year's Bradley Classic to pace the Bradley women's team. McMahon's effort at the Notre Dame Invitational ranks as the fourth best time in school history. The Braves finished seventh at Notre Dame Invite, which featured eight nationally ranked squads.
"Our women are ready to race tomorrow,” said Burns. “They want to go out and race for a title and will be challenged by some very good teams like Missouri, Wichita State, Saint Louis and Marquette to name a few. Our front pack looks ready to roll, but our challenge will be numbers five through eight. We are looking forward to seeing who will step up and get it done as it will be important for us to have a chance to win."
Junior Eric Delvo (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart Griffin) has led the Bradley men's cross country team in each of his last two outings and took sixth in his race at the Notre Dame Invitational last time out.
"The men's field is deep and we feel our team can finish near the front with a strong effort,” stated Burns. “The guys are hungry to race this week after not racing well at Notre Dame. This is an important race for us heading into the MVC Championship in two weeks. We will see a few Valley teams tomorrow and it will be good for us to see where we stand with them. Nathan Davis will be back in the lineup this week, which will give us more depth in the top group. We are excited to see what the guys will bring to the home crowd tomorrow."
Following the Bradley “Pink” Classic, the Bradley men's and women's cross country teams will send contingents to the Illinois Open in Champaign, Ill., on Oct. 25.
