Cross Country Set for MVC Championship Saturday

Cross Country 11/1/2019 10:00:00 AM

The Bradley cross country teams look to continue their reign atop the Missouri Valley Conference when it runs at the conference championship at Valparaiso on Saturday.

MEET INFO
The men kick off the championship with the 8K race slated to begin at 10:35 a.m. The women then follow and the 6K race is slated for 11:35 a.m.

Both meets can be seen live on ESPN3.

Coach Gauson, Jake Hoffert, Abby Jockisch and Gabby Juarez preview the @MVCsports Championship on Saturday in this week's Peoria Tire Race Preview! pic.twitter.com/HHLvLqwrcb
— BradleyXC-Track (@BradleyXCTrack) November 1, 2019

MEN LOOKING FOR HISTORY
The Bradley men's team has won the last four conference championships and on Saturday, BU will look to do something that has only been done once with the conference records going back to 1947. A first-place finish and the Braves will join Wichita State (1971 to 1975) as the only schools to win five-straight conference crowns.

HOFFERT AIMS FOR MORE HISTORY
Senior Jake Hoffert is already one of just two Braves to win the individual MVC title and on Saturday, will look to join an even more exclusive list. The winner of the 2017 championship, Hoffert joined Rod Collins in 1965 as BU champions. Hoffert is also one of four Braves to earn all-conference honors three times during his career (Collins, Eric Huey and Michael Ward) and now aims to become the first four-time honoree in school history.

WOMEN LOOK TO COMPETE THREE-PEAT
The Bradley women's team is also looking to continue its recent success. The Braves haves claimed the last two MVC titles and with a win on Saturday, will win three-straight crowns for the first time in school history. Overall, Bradley has placed in the top two in six-straight seasons, while winning four of the last five conference crowns.

VETERANS VERUS NEWCOMERS
The Bradley women will look to extend its run with a number of runners with past success, while the men will need to count on some new faces.

Five Braves return on the women's side after earning all-conference honors in the past. McKenzie Altmayer and Abby Jockisch collected the accolade in 2017, while Gabby Juarez, Tyler Schwartz and Ayah Aldadah were named to the All-MVC team last season.

The Bradley men, meanwhile, return just one runner who has earned all-conference honors in the past in Jake Hoffert. Luke Hoffert and Jack Franklin both received honorable-mention to the All-Valley Team last season.

PRE-CHAMPIONSHIP POLL
The Bradley men were picked first in the pre-championship poll this week, receiving 6-of-9 first-place votes with Drake earning the remaining three. The women are slated to finish second as Loyola earned seven first-place votes to Bradley's three.

UP NEXT
After the Braves compete for the conference title, the regional crown is next on the agenda in two weeks. The teams are slated for the NCAA Midwest Regional on Friday, Nov. 15 at Oklahoma State.

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