After helping the Braves sweep the Bradley Intercollegiate, juniors Michael Ward and Hannah Witczak collected Missouri Valley Conference Male and Female Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors on Tuesday.
 
Ward opened his 2016 cross country season at the 30th running of the Bradley Intercollegiate on Friday, earning the men's individual title. The junior ran the 8K course in a time of 24:30.3, crossing the line more than 17 seconds ahead of the second-place runner from Illinois-Chicago and shaving more than 30 seconds off the Bradley record at the meet. Overall, Ward claimed his first individual cross country title as well as leading the Braves to a first-place finish among six Division I schools.
 
Witczak also anchored the Braves to the championship at the Bradley Intercollegiate as the women's team posted a perfect score of 15 en route to the title among seven Division I schools. On an individual level, Witczak knocked off nearly a minute from her personal-best three-mile time as she crossed the finish line in first place at 16:48.7 – more than 12 seconds ahead of second place. The title marked the first for Witczak during her collegiate career.
 
Ward and Witczak are two key pieces of the regionally-ranked Bradley teams. The men are the seventh-ranked school in the Midwest poll – the highest-ranked program in Missouri Valley – while the women debut in the poll this week at 14th – second among conference foes.
 
The Braves return to action on Friday, Sept. 30 at the Notre Dame Invitational.