PEORIA, Ill -- The Bradley men's and women's track and field teams have a busy week ahead, sending contingents to a pair of meets in California in addition to Saturday's NIU Huskie Open in DeKalb, Ill.
The busy slate kicks off Thursday with five individuals competing at the Mt. Sac Relays in Walnut, Calif. Sophomore Taylor Johnson (Lincoln, Neb./Southeast) is scheduled to open the first day of the Mt. Sac Relays for the Braves at approximately 3:30 p.m. (CDT) in the women's 1,500 meters, looking to improve on her career-best time of 4:41.17 set earlier this season.
Sophomore Eric Delvo (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart Griffin) will run in the men's 1,500 meters, while fellow sophomore Chase Coffey (Hanna City, Ill./Farmington) is in the men's steeplechase later in the day. Coffey broke his own school record in the steeplechase earlier this year and owns the second fastest 3,000 meter steeplechase time in the Missouri Valley Conference this spring.
Thursday's action concludes with junior Nathan Davis (Lewistown, Ill./Lewistown) and sophomore Sarah McMahon (Colfax, Wis./Colfax) running in the men's and women's 10,000 meters.
“We are really excited to see what the team can do this weekend in California and DeKalb,” said Bradley head coach Marc Burns. “The races we will be competing in will be very competitive and should be great opportunities for us. We are inside of four weeks to the MVC Championships. These next couple of meets will be important for us to get as many of our kids into the faster sections at the conference meet. We are ready to roll so now it is up to the team to take advantage of it.”
Sophomore Kyela Specht (Munster, Ind./Munster) will compete in the 800 meters, while both freshman Kristen Busch (Waterloo, Ill./Freeburg) and junior Cassie Lohmeier (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) will represent the Braves in the women's 5,000 meters late Friday night at the Mt. Sac Relays. Specht clocked the seventh fastest 800 meter time in program history last week in Macomb, Ill.
Taylor, Lohmeier and Busch, along with freshman Caitlin Busch (Waterloo, Ill./Freeburg) are scheduled to open Saturday's events at the Long Beach Invitational in Long Beach, Calif., in the women's 1,500 meters at approximately 12:20 p.m. (CDT).
The day's events in California will also include the men's 1,500 meters, with Delvo and freshman Cole Dill (Tremont, Ill./Tremont) slated to run.
Helping highlight the women's 800 meter field Saturday will be Specht along with sophomore Hannah Booker (Tremont, Ill./Tremont) and freshman Rachel Sudbury (Tomahawk, Wis./Tomahawk) at approximately 4:20 p.m. in Long Beach, Calif.
Coffey and Davis will wrap up the Long Beach Invitational for Bradley, Saturday evening in the men's 5,000 meters. The school record holder in the men's 3,000 meters, Coffey will compete in the 5,000 meters for the first time in his collegiate career. Davis became the ninth individual to run a sub 15-minute 5,000 meters in program history earlier this year and owns the sixth fastest time in school history in the event (14:45.83).
Bradley will also send individuals to the NIU Huskie Open in DeKalb, Ill., Saturday afternoon, with the 4x100 meter relay starting the day's events at 1 p.m. The Braves will compete in 11 events at the NIU Huskie Open with the day scheduled to conclude with the 4x400 meter relay at 5 p.m.
Next week will be another busy one for the Braves, with some individuals competing at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, April 25-27 and the rest of the teams traveling to Indianapolis, Ind., for the Stan Lyons Invitational April 27.
