LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Sophomore Michael Ward (Cardiff, South Wales/Llanishen) broke Bradley's school record in the 8K and finished 75th as he helped the Bradley men's cross country team to a 26th-place team showing at Pre-Nationals Saturday morning at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park.
In a race which featured 11 nationally ranked teams and four other squads receiving votes in the latest USTFCCCA national poll, Ward helped pace the Braves by breaking Rich Kruiswyk's 1983 8K school record of 24:15. Ward posted a time of 24:11.9 to finish 75th in the field as he topped his previous career-best 8K time by nearly 50 seconds.
Ward was just one of five Braves to clock career-best times Saturday, however. Junior Patrick Campbell (Wauwatosa, Wis./Wauwatosa) crossed the line at 24:34.0 to finish 141st as he shaved 16 seconds off his career-best effort and sophomore Taylor Floyd Mews (Milwaukee, Wis./Wauwatosa West) was on his heels in 143rd with a career-best time of 24:35.5 to finish 143rd. Campbell's time is tied for the fifth-best 8K time in school history, while Floyd Mews now owns the eighth-best time in program history.
Junior Caleb Beck (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) took 20 seconds off his best 8K time, finishing in 24:43.6 to take 167th. Senior Marshall Moyer (Burlington, Iowa/Burlington) rounded out the team scoring for the Braves in 178th with a career-best 24:46.8.
“It was a very strong weekend for both groups," said Bradley cross country/track & field head coach Darren Gauson. “The men's team asserted themselves as the top team in the conference and the women got another very solid performance to continue to build up to the upcoming Valley Championship and NCAA regional.”
Bradley was the top finisher among three Missouri Valley Conference teams in the field, finishing 26th overall with 704 points. Colorado, which was ranked #1 in the latest national poll, won the team title with 89 points, while third-ranked Oregon was second at 151. Kentucky finished 25th in the field, 34 points ahead of Bradley (26th – 704). The Braves were 18 points better than 27th-place Florida. Valley rival Wichita State was 37th at 850 points and Indiana State placed 40th in the 42-team field with 910 points.
The Bradley men's cross country team returns to action next Friday at the Illini Open in Champaign, Ill.
