TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Junior Kristen Busch (Waterloo, Ill./Freeburg) finished 55th overall to help the Bradley women's cross country team to a 14th-place showing at Pre-Nationals, while senior Eric Delvo (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart Griffin) turned in a season-best 8K time to finish 46th and help the Bradley men's cross country team take 20th Saturday at the Lavern Gibson Cross Country Course.
The women's field in the Pre-Nationals Blue Race featured six nationally ranked teams and the men's Blue Race included eight teams currently ranked in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) top 30. Both the Bradley men's and women's teams were the top finishers among Missouri Valley Conference squads in their respective events.
Busch was the top MVC individual finisher in the women's Blue Race, posting a time of 21:40.1 in her first 6K of the season to finish 55th. Her twin sister Caitlin Busch (Waterloo, Ill./Freeburg) clocked a career-best 6K time of 21:45.6 to finish five spots back of Kristen in 60th. Caitlin's time was nine seconds better than her previous career-best effort and ranks ninth in career-best 6K times at Bradley.
The Bradley women had three individuals in the top 75 in the field and the Braves were just one of 11 squads to do so, with senior Rosie Hiles (Hampshire, England/Alton College/University of Birmingham) coming in 71st at 21:47.4 in her first 6K at Bradley. Her time ranks 10th in school history. Fellow senior Emily Delvo (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart Griffin) crossed the line at 22:10.7 to finish 112th and junior Lauren Houmes (Hoopeston, Ill./Hoopeston) rounded out the scoring for the BU women in 207th at 22:48.2.
The Bradley women were 14th in the 43-team field with 511 points, finishing just three points behind 13th-place Utah (508) and 30 points back of 12th-place Lipscomb (481). Fourth-ranked Georgetown won the team title at 110 points. Wichita State was the only other Valley team in the field with the Shockers taking 37th.
Eric Delvo shaved two seconds off his season-best 8K time at 25:01.0 to finish 46th in the men's field. He was one of three Braves in the top 100 as he helped Bradley edge Indiana State for top team honors among Valley squads. Fellow senior Chase Coffey (Hanna City, Ill./Farmington) turned in a time of 25:22.3 to take 86th and sophomore Patrick Campbell (Wauwatosa, Wis./Wauwatosa) was just two seconds back in 94th at 25:24.5.
Junior Marshall Moyer (Burlington, Iowa/Burlington) finished 16 seconds off his season-best pace in 145th at 25:45.4, while sophomore Caleb Beck (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) completed Bradley's scoring at 26:03.9 to finish 188th.
The Bradley men were 20th among the 46 teams in the Blue Race with 559 points to top MVC rival Indiana State (21st – 579) by 20 points. Two-time defending MVC champion Southern Illinois was 28th overall at 712 points. The Braves were 39 points behind Air Force and Iowa, which tied for 18th (520). Top-ranked Colorado had four individuals in the top nine and five of the top 12 to claim the team title at 35 points.
In the women's open race, junior Rachel Sudbury (Tomahawk, Wis./Tomahawk) finished 26th overall at 23:19.7. Freshman Haran Dunderdale (Grantham, England/Carres) paced three Braves in the men's open race, clocking a 26:18.3 to cross the line in 16th.
The Bradley men's and women's cross country teams are back in action Friday at the Illinois Open in Champaign, Ill.
