MACOMB, Ill. – Four individuals turned in top 10 times in school history and many career and season-best times helped highlight competition for the Bradley track and field teams at the Lee Calhoun Memorial Saturday.
Sophomore Kyela Specht (Muster, Ind./Munster) was one of three individuals to post top three finishes in their events, taking third in the women's 800 meters with a career-best time of 2:13.98 to match the best finish of the day by a Bradley individual. Her time was one one-hundredth off the fastest time on the team this season and ranks seventh among BU career-best marks.
In the women's 3,000 meters, freshman Caitlin Busch (Waterloo, Ill./Freeburg) placed fourth with a time of 10:16.10, which ranks seventh all-time in program history.
Freshman Elizabeth Dutcher (Williamston, Mich,/Williamston) had a pair of top five finishes in the hurdles, taking third in the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 15.77 to go with a fifth-place finish in the 400 meter hurdles. Her career-best 400 meter hurdles time of 1:05.79 ranks fourth in school history and was top time in the event by a Bradley runner since 1986.
On the men's side, freshman Nick Kirk (Downers Grove, Ill/Downers Grove South) clocked a season-best time of 8:53.27 to finish sixth. Kirk is the eighth individual in program history to run a sub nine-minute 3,000 meters and his time is sixth in program history.
Junior Nick Skromme (Ottawa, Ill./Marquette) got the day started on a strong note, running a season-best time of 10:03.09 in the 3,000 meter steeplechase to take sixth in the event. Freshman Cole Dill (Tremont, Ill./Tremont) paced the Braves in the men's 1,500 meters, crossing the line at 4:01.84 to place sixth and sophomore Eric Delvo (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart Griffin) was BU's top finisher in the 800 meters at eighth with a time of 1:56.31.
Freshman Rachel Sudbury (Tomahawk, Wis./Tomahawk) also helped highlight the day for the women's team. Sudbury turned in the top 1,500 meter time on the team this season, placing third overall at 4:39.79 to finish three seconds behind the event champ.
In the women's 4x400 meter relay, the grouping of Dutcher, sophomore Hannah Booker (Tremont, Ill./Tremont), sophomore Taylor Johnson (Lincoln, Neb./Southeast) and freshman Lauren Houmes (Hoopeston, Ill./Hoopeston) placed second, finishing with a time of 4:07.02.
The Bradley track and field teams have a busy week ahead, sending contingents to the Mt. Sac Relays in Walnut, Calif., for races Thursday, Friday and Saturday in addition to a group which will compete at the Long Beach Invitational in Long Beach, Calif., Saturday. The rest of the squad will travel to DeKalb, Ill., for the Northern Illinois Huskie Open Saturday.
