Cross Country Readies for the Bradley Pink Classic and the Pre Nationals

Duane Zehr, Bradley University ITPS

Senior Caleb Beck

Men's Cross Country 10/13/2016 11:24:00 AM

The Bradley cross country teams are back in action this weekend, hosting their final home meet of the season on Friday with the Bradley Pink Classic before the men also compete at the Pre Nationals on Saturday.

Opening the weekend, the Braves host the Bradley Pink Classic on Friday at Newman Golf Course. The meet features four races in total with two women's 6K runs and two men's 8K races. The women's white race is scheduled for 2 p.m. with the men's white race at 2:45 p.m. The red division races will follow with the women running at 3:30 p.m. and the men finishing up at 4:15 p.m. If needed, overflow parking is available at Shea Stadium.

Overall, schools from 11 states and one Canadian province are set to compete at Friday's meet, including 34 schools (33 NCAA Division I teams) during the meet's red races.

The Braves' top runners on the women's side are set to compete at the Bradley Classic, looking to extend their unbeaten run. Bradley has finished first as a team in each of its two meets when its top runners compete, claiming the Bradley Intercollegiate title on Sept. 16 before winning the Gold Division race at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational on Sept. 30.

The top-ranked MVC team in the Midwest Region, Bradley is led by junior Hannah Witczak this season. The Chicago native won her first individual title at the Bradley Intercollegiate before finishing fifth overall at Notre Dame and first on Bradley. Her time of 17:24.2 at Notre Dame marked the fifth-fastest 5K in school history, while sophomore Gabby Juarez and senior Lauren Cunningham also turned in two of the fastest 10 5K times in the program's record book.

On the men's side, the school's top six runners at both the Bradley Intercollegiate and Notre Dame Invitational will make the trip to Terre Haute, Indiana, for the Pre Nationals. Junior Michael Ward has finished as the Braves top runner in each of his last two meets, claiming the Bradley Intercollegiate individual title before his 21st-place finish at Notre Dame as the Braves placed 10th at the race and finished ahead of three nationally-ranked schools.

Joining Ward at the Pre Nationals are seniors Caleb Beck and Patrick Campbell, junior Taylor Floyd Mews, sophomore Will Anderson and freshman Jake Hoffert.

The remaining men's team is set to compete at the Bradley Classic on Friday. The Braves are the seventh-ranked squad in the Midwest region – the highest-ranked team in the MVC.

The weekend's meets are the last opportunity for most of the team's runners to compete before the Missouri Valley Championship on Oct. 29. The Braves will send a small contingent of runners prior to the conference championship to the Illini Open on Oct. 21.

Print Friendly Version