2016 Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Bradley Women: 8th of 9 (52 points)
Bradley Men: 7th of 8 (52 points)
TERRE HAUTE, IN - Bradley's men's and women's track programs proved strong in their distance-focused events Sunday as each program captured an individual title and dominated the longer races in the final day of the Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships Sunday at the Gibson Track and Field Complex.
Senior Emily Delvo won the Women's 1500 Meter Run in a track record 4:26.99 to earn her fourth career individual championship. Delvo previously won the 1500 meters at the 2014 MVC Outdoor Championships, as well as the 800 meters at both the 2014 Indoor and Outdoor championship meets. Senior Rachel Sudbury added a sixth-place finish in the 1500 in 4:33.39.
Sudbury added another point with an eighth-place finish in the 800 meters (2:17.13). The Braves then racked up 19 points in the 5000 Meters with a second-place finish by Caitlin Busch (16:35.23), third-place run by Kristen Busch (16:41.46) and fourth-place effort by Delvo (16:54.69). Caitlin Busch shaved more than four seconds off her previous career-best (16:39.45).
Sophomore Michael Ward highlighted the efforts of the Bradley men Sunday, winning the 5000 Meters Run after a runner-up performance earlier in the day in the 1500 Meters. Now a six-time All-MVC honoree, Ward earned his first career individual title (he was a member of the winning 2015 indoor distance medley relay team) by covering the 5000 meters in a track record 14:23.49. Sophomore Patrick Campbell (seventh) and senior Chase Coffey (eighth) helped give the Braves 13 points in the 5000 meters with scoring runs of their own. Campbell turned in a 14:34.80, while Coffey followed at 14:35.08.
Bradley's men scored 17 points in the 1500 meters as sophomore Haran Dunderdale took fifth place in 3:50.66, while senior Eric Delvo was just behind in sixth place at 3:51.50. Ward clocked a 3:49.55 in his second-place run. The men added two more points in the 400 meters on the strength of freshman David Shadid's career-best 47.71.
Both Bradley's men's and women's teams scored 52 points in the meet. Despite their focus on distance events, the Bradley men finished seventh among eight teams and just 11 points behind sixth-place Drake, while the women were eighth among nine teams and only 7.5 points behind seventh-place Drake.
