PEORIA, IL - Out of action for more than a year after receiving a medical hardship for the 2014 cross country season, three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference runner Sarah McMahon enjoyed a solid return to the course Friday to highlight the performance of the Bradley Women's Cross Country team in the 12th annual Bradley Classic.
McMahon paced Bradley's split squad by clocking the 6K course in 21:29.9 for a 33rd-place individual finish among the 267 competitors in the Women's Red Race Friday. Despite her extended absence from the racing circuit, McMahon's time Friday ranks among the top 6K efforts in program history and is just 37 seconds off the 20:52.9 she ran to set the school record (now fourth-best) in the 6K during the 2013 NCAA Midwest Regionals.
Paced by their senior leader, all seven of Bradley's other eligible competitors Friday ran career-best 6K times Friday: Katie Wampole (75th, 21:55.0); Hannah Witzcak (121, 2:21.3); Sara Piller (146, 22:38.6); Natalie Burant (149, 22:40.5); Nicole Alfano (153, 22:41.9); Nicole Lopez-Villegas (167, 23:02.0); and Brooke Nusser (221, 23:31.8).
Three additional runners with Bradley connections also competed in Friday's Bradley Classic Red Race as unattached athletes. Emily Delvo, who has exhausted her cross country eligibility but is preparing for her fifth-year senior track season, paced all of the past and present Braves by finishing 20th overall in 21:10.1. Redshirting freshman Bailey Johnson was 43rd overall in 21:37.4 and redshirting junior Casey Kramer was 116th in 22:15.7.
Friday's Bradley Classic was broken into four races - two for women and two for men - that included 831 runners from 45 schools in all.
In the women's White Race, four more Bradley runners turned in career-best 6K times, paced by sophomore Molly Leveille's 11th-place individual finish in 23:12.6. Bradley finished fifth in the White Race team standings as sophomore Jennifer Luksan checked in at 20th in 23:42.4 and junior Rebecca Gosselin followed in 21st in a career-best 23:46.5. Megan Price finished 30th in 23:58.3 and freshman Morgan Lain was 41st in 24:19.8. Outside of the scoring finishes, senior Liz Smith clocked 24:59.9 and freshman Catalina Dominick completed her first collegiate 6K in 25:47.7.
Bradley's top runners will compete in the Pre-Nationals Saturday morning in Louisville, KY.
