PEORIA, Ill. -- First-year Bradley cross country/track & field head coach Darren Gauson and his men's and women's track & field squads will open the 2016 indoor season Saturday afternoon at the Illini Classic in Champaign, Ill.
After completing arguably the most successful cross country seasons in school history two months ago, the Braves will kick off the indoor season at the Illini Classic for the third consecutive year. Saturday's action at the University of Illinois Armory is slated to start at 11 a.m.
The Illini Classic will mark the Bradley track debuts for nine Bradley women and six Bradley men in addition to the returns of seniors Chase Coffey (Hanna City, Ill./Farmington) on the men's side and Sarah McMahon (Colfax, Wis./Colfax) for the women's team. Two of the most decorated runners in their respective programs, both Coffey and McMahon missed the 2015 track season due to injuries.
McMahon will team with the senior duo of Caitlin Busch (Waterloo, Ill./Freeburg) and Kristen Busch (Waterloo, Ill./Freeburg) to highlight the women's mile field for the Braves. Caitlin Busch was the individual MVC Cross Country Champion this fall, while her twin sister Kristen was the lone MVC runner to reach the NCAA Cross Country Championship following a sixth-place NCAA Regional finish. Freshman Abby Jockisch (Peoria, Ill./Dunlap) had a very successful freshman season in cross country this fall and will help push the Bradley pack in the women's mile field.
The women's 3,000 meter field will have seniors Lauren Houmes (Hoopeston, Ill./Hoopeston) and Kylie McKinney (Petersburg, Ill./PORTA) leading a group eight returning runners in the field for Bradley. Houmes nearly posted a top-10 3,000 meter time for the Braves last indoor season, while McKinney was one of the team's top finishers at the NCAA Cross Country Regional this past fall.
Senior Rachel Sudbury (Tomahawk, Wis./Tomahawk) is one of a handful of Braves expected to challenge for top individual honors for Bradley in the women's 800 meters along with freshman Gabby Juarez (Streamwood, Ill./Streamwood) after a strong rookie season in cross country in 2015 and junior Casey Kramer (Yorkville, Ill./Yorkville), who missed the 2015 cross country season due to injury.
For the Bradley men, Coffey, sophomore Taylor Floyd Mews (Milwaukee, Wis./Wauwatosa West) and junior Daniel Gagne (Wauwatosa, Wis./East) will help highlight the mile. Coffey owns top 10 times in school history in the 800 meters, mile and 3,000 meters. Floyd Mews earned All-Valley honors during the cross country season this past fall after a sixth place finish at the MVC Championship and Gagne clocked the second-best mile time in school history last winter.
In the men's 3,000 meters, juniors Patrick Campbell (Wauwatosa, Wis./Wauwatosa) and Caleb Beck (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) will help pace the Braves. Beck's career-best 3,000 meter time of 8:25.22 from last year is fifth in program history. Like Beck, Campbell owns top 10 times in school history in both the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters. Campbell was an All-MVC performer this fall following an eighth-place finish at the MVC Cross Country Championship.
Following Saturday's season opener, the Bradley track & field teams will head to Bloomington, Ind., for the Gladstein Invitational Jan. 22 & 23.
