PEORIA, Ill. -- The Bradley men's and women's cross country teams will face their final tune-up for next week's NCAA Regional in Ames, Iowa, Friday, with both squads traveling to DeKalb, Ill., for the NIU Huskie Open. The 5K Huskie Open will be held at 4:30 p.m. at the NIU North 40 Cross Country Course.
At last year's Huskie Open, 10 individuals from the Bradley women's cross country team clocked career-best 5K times and the Bradley men's cross country squad boasted six of the top eight finishers in the event.
“This is a great opportunity for our team to learn how to be sharp in November,” said Bradley head coach Marc Burns. “We will be counting on many of these Braves in the future at championship meets so this is all about development.”
For most of Bradley women's entries, the NIU Huskie Open will serve as the final meet of the season. Freshman Lauren Cunningham (Bayside, Wis./Nicolet) owns the top 5K this fall among the Braves scheduled to race Friday after turning in a time of 18:21.55 at the Illinois State Invitational in Normal, Ill., back in September and is a likely candidate to help pace BU.
Freshman Katie Wampole (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Kennedy) also broke 19 minutes in the 5K at Illinois State, posting a time of 18:38.92 and could finish near the front of the Bradley pack.
On the men's side, several individuals will be competing to round out the squad's lineup for next week's NCAA Regional. Senior Nathan Davis (Lewistown, Ill./Lewistown) boasts the best four-mile time (19:52) among the Bradley men competing at the Huskie Open and is coming off a 35th-place finish at last week's MVC Championship.
Sophomore Cole Dill (Tremont, Ill./Tremont) was close behind Davis at the MVC Championship in 38th, while fellow sophomore Marshall Moyer (Burlington, Iowa/Burlington) is expected to return to the Bradley lineup Friday. Freshman Caleb Beck (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) may also challenge for one of the top spots for the Braves and has a season-best four-mile time of 20:05 earlier this season.
Both the men's and women's cross country teams will be in action next week, taking part in the NCAA Regional in Ames, Iowa, Friday, Nov. 15.
