PEORIA, Ill. -- The outdoor track & field season kicks into high gear with the Bradley men's and women's track & field teams sending contingents to Stanford, Calif., for the Stanford Invitational Friday along with Saturday's EIU Big Blue Classic in Charleston, Ill.
Helping highlight the weekend's schedule for the Braves will be Friday's Stanford Invite, which will feature some of the top performers in the nation. The day's activities in California will include the men's and women's 5,000 meters. Junior Emily Delvo (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart Griffin) will run in the outdoor 5,000 meters for the first time in her career after winning the women's 1,500 meters at the season-opening Vanderbilt Black & Gold last week.
In the men's 5,000 meters, freshman Michael Ward (Cardiff, South Wales/Llanishen) also looks to build on his 1,500 meter title in Nashville, Tenn., last week and is one of four Braves slated to run. Sophomore Caleb Beck (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) owns the 10th-best 5,000 meter time in school history (14:54.57) and fellow sophomore Mike Bianchina (Geneva, Ill./Geneva) will look to challenge his personal best time in the event. Joining the trio in the field will be sophomore Daniel Gagne (Wauwatosa, Wis./East), who will run his first outdoor 5,000 meters.
Capping Friday's events at Stanford will be juniors Caitlin Busch (Waterloo, Ill./Freeburg) and Kristen Busch (Waterloo, Ill./Freeburg) in the women's 10,000 meters. Caitlin won the indoor 5,000 meter title at the Missouri Valley Conference championship this winter and will make her outdoor debut in the 10,000 meters Friday night. Kristen set the school record in the 10,000 meters last year at Stanford and went on to win the MVC Outdoor title in the event in addition to an 18th-place national finish at last year's NCAA Championship.
Saturday's action at the EIU Big Blue Classic will open at 12:30 p.m. with junior Dana Markech (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) in the 100 meter prelims.
Bradley has 18 entries in the women's 1,500 meters Saturday (1:55 p.m.). Sophomore Casey Kramer (Yorkville, Ill./Yorkville) had the top time in the 1,500 meters last year among the Braves slated to run in the event and also had the best indoor mile time this winter among the Bradley runners making the trip to Charleston, Ill. Kramer's career-best time of 4:35.95 was three-tenths of a second from the top 10 in school history.
Eight Bradley men will follow in the men's 1,500 meters at 2:10 p.m. Freshman Haran Dunderdale (Grantham, England/Carres) clocked top five times in Bradley history in both the 800 meters and mile during the indoor season. He is expected to finish near the front of the pack for the Braves in the first 1,500 meters of his collegiate career.
Kramer might also help pace a group of 12 Bradley women in the 800 meters late Saturday afternoon at Eastern Illinois. Her career-best time was third on the squad last spring. The Bradley men will also have 12 individuals in the 800 meters. Sophomore Thomas Razo (Lockport, Ill./Lockport) had the top 800 meter time on the squad during the indoor season, posting the best time at Bradley since 1992.
The Braves wrap up the day at the EIU Big Blue Classic with the 4x400 meter relay (5:35 p.m.).
Next weekend the Bradley track & field teams will travel to Macomb, Ill., for the Lee Calhoun Memorial April 10 & 11.
