Cross Country Heads to NCAA Midwest Regional

Ben Adamson

Women's Cross Country 11/9/2017 2:21:00 PM

After sweeping through the Missouri Valley Conference Championship, the Bradley cross country teams are headed to the NCAA Midwest Regional for Friday's races.

MEET INFO
Iowa State is hosting the 2017 Midwest Regional with the women's 6K starting at 10:45 a.m. and the men's 10K to follow at 11:45 a.m.

The regional includes all Division I schools from nine Midwest states – Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota. Live results are available for Friday's meet.

MVC CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP
The Braves swept through the Missouri Valley Conference Championship for the second time in three seasons with the men claiming their third-straight title and the women winning their third in four years.

Jake Hoffert led BU and became the first Brave in 52 years to win the MVC Men's Championship. He was joined on the All-MVC First Team by Nyle Clinton, while Taylor Floyd Mews, Alec Danner and Nikolas Hess also received honorable mention to the All-MVC Team.

The women cruised to the second-best team performance in championship history by claiming five of the top eight spots at the meet. Sara Piller, Natalie Burant, McKenzie Altmayer, Abby Jockisch and Hannah Witczak finished fourth through eighth, respectively, as Bradley's 30 total points easily outpaced second-place Northern Iowa, who finished with 56.

PEAKING IN REGIONAL RANKINGS
After both claiming conference titles, the Braves continued their rise up the NCAA Midwest Region rankings. The men placed fifth in the latest poll, matching their highest finish in regional history, set last season. Meanwhile, the women's team is ranked sixth – the program's highest placement in the poll since the final regular-season rankings of 2015 (fifth).

2016 REGIONAL RECAP
The Bradley men posted their best finish in school history at the NCAA Midwest Regional last season, finishing fifth of 26 schools. Three Braves finished in the top 25 last year and earned All-Midwest Region accolades as only two other BU runners previously had accomplished the feat and none since 1986. Overall, Michael Ward placed a program-best ninth (previous record was 18th) to become the first BU man to qualify for the NCAA Championship. Patrick Campbell was 13th, while Hoffert posted the best finish by a BU rookie in 16th – easily surpassing the previous record of 43rd.

The Bradley women overcame illness to place 15th of 33 schools in the 6K race. Witczak was the team's top finisher and just missed all-region honors by placing 32nd at her first career running at the meet.

UP NEXT
The top two teams and four additional individuals automatically qualify for the NCAA Championship with 13 at-large spots also available for team entry. The 2017 NCAA Championship is set for Saturday, Nov. 18 in Louisville.

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