PEORIA, Ill. -- The Bradley men's and women's track & field teams hit the halfway point of the 2015 outdoor season this weekend, heading to the Illinois Twilight in Champaign, Ill., Saturday afternoon.
With most of the team idle last week, the Braves have three more weekends of competition before the Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship May 15-17 in Normal, Ill., and will open the final stretch in Champaign, Ill., for the second straight year.
Saturday's Illinois Twilight kicks off at 5 p.m. with the men's and women's steeplechase. Sophomore Steffen Uhrich (Wauwatosa, Wis./East) posted the second best 2,000 meter steeplechase time in school history earlier this season and will run the 3,000 meter steeplechase for the first time this year. Freshman Haran Dunderdale (Grantham, England/Carres) will make his debut in the men's steeplechase Saturday, while on the women's side sophomore Mackenzie Griffin (Petersburg, Ill./PORTA) will also make her steeplechase debut.
Senior Kyela Specht (Munster, Ind./Munster) posted the fifth-fastest 800 meter time in the Valley at Vanderbilt in late March and is one of six Bradley women slated to run in the event Saturday. On the men's side, junior Evan Tuisl (Clinton, Iowa/Clinton) owns the top 800 meter time on the squad and is one of five Bradley entries.
In the 3,000 meters, junior Marshall Moyer (Burlington, Iowa/Burlington) clocked the sixth-best 3,000 meter time in school history last spring and will challenge for top honors among five Braves slated to run for the men's team.
Junior Rosie Hiles (Hampshire, England/Alton College/University of Birmingham) is expected to make her outdoor track debut Saturday in the women's 3,000 meters. Freshman Lauren Cunningham (Bayside, Wis./Nicolet) will make run in the 3,000 meters for the first time and junior Lauren Houmes (Hoopeston, Ill./Hoopeston) will also likely finish near the front of a pack of 10 Bradley runners in the field.
The day concludes with the 1,500 meters. Junior Emily Delvo (Sprinfield, Ill./Sacred Heart Griffin) owns the top time in the Missouri Valley Conference this season for the women and will be joined by Caitlin Busch (Waterloo, Ill./Freeburg) and Kristen Busch (Waterloo, Ill./Freeburg) in the field.
Freshman Michael Ward (Cardiff, South Wales/Llanishen) will help pace a group of four Bradley men in the 1,500 meters Saturday after posting 11th-best time in school history earlier this spring.
Next week the Bradley track & field teams will run at the historic Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, April 23-25.
