Bradley Athletics 2019-20 Year in Review

Bradley VP for Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Chris Reynolds

2019-20 Annual Report

Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications General 9/2/2020 12:30:00 PM

Dear Bradley Braves Supporters:

The 2019-20 school year brought extremely high moments and challenges that we had not seen in a generation. However, despite the circumstances created by an international pandemic that brought the competition year to a sudden halt, our Bradley University student-athletes excelled in every way possible. They did not allow COVID-19 to distract them from their pursuit of excellence in the classroom and they remain focused on continuing to achieve at the highest levels possible competitively when it is safe for sports to return.

The energy and effort to succeed demonstrated by our student-athletes was evident from the start of the 2019-20 school year and continued throughout the competition season as the Braves excelled across the board this past year:

Men's Cross Country tied the Missouri Valley Conference record by winning its fifth consecutive league title and the Braves did so in dominant fashion, setting the modern-day league record by scoring 17 points in the championship race. With Women's Cross Country earning a runner-up finish at the 2019 MVC Championship, the Braves secured a top-two league finish for a seventh consecutive year.

The performance of the cross country teams kicked off the fall championship season, which ended with Bradley's four fall sports programs all finishing among the top four in the Missouri Valley Conference standings for the first time in Bradley Athletics history. Soccer returned to the upper echelon of the league standings by finishing third in The Valley, while head coach Jim DeRose secured his 250th career victory with the team's 2-0 triumph against Evansville in the quarterfinals of the MVC Men's Soccer Championship. With a fourth-place finish in the Valley standings, Volleyball secured a top-four league position in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2001 and 2002, helping head coach Carol Price-Torok earn recognition as one of VolleyballMag.com's "40 Under 40 Coaching Hotshots."

While Men's Golf, Women's Golf and Tennis all play their championship seasons in the spring, all three teams enjoyed highlights during their fall seasons. Notably, Women's Golf ranked second in the Missouri Valley Conference Golfstat rankings, just six-tenths of a stroke behind the top spot, while Tennis enjoyed its most-successful performances in program history at both the MVC Individual Championships and Intercollegiate Tennis Association Central Region Championships.

The momentum created by the fall performances extended to the hardwood, where both the Men's Basketball and Women's Basketball teams rose to new heights. Brian Wardle's men's basketball squad won 20 games during the regular season for the first time since 2006-07 and then swept through Arch Madness for the second year in a row to give the Braves consecutive Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championships for the first time in program history and consecutive invitations to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1954 and 1955. While the COVID-19 pandemic prevented Women's Basketball from competing for its first Valley title at the Hoops in the Heartland MVC Women's Basketball Championship, Andrea Gorski's squad set program records with 22 overall wins and 13 Valley victories and earned the No. 3 seed for the MVC Tournament, the best tournament seed in program history.

Despite the abrupt end to the season, Bradley's spring sports also created memorable moments. Tennis continued its strong individual performances during the fall into the spring dual match season, when the Braves posted a 7-5 record to secure a winning record in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1992 and 1993. Softball opened the 2020 season with a 3-2 win against No. 20 Arkansas and the team's final 14-9 record represented the program's best ledger through 23 games since the 2007 squad also opened with a 14-9 mark. Baseball was building momentum with a dominant, 3-game series sweep at Tennessee Tech when the Braves received the news of the passing of 2019 teammate Mitch Janssen March 3. The support the team has received from our local community, as well as the college baseball family, has been very much appreciated.

In the classroom, nearly 85 percent of Bradley student-athletes qualified for the Athletic Director's Honor Roll during at least one of the two grading periods by achieving a minimum 3.30 semester grade point average and the Braves led the Missouri Valley Conference with three student-athletes – Natalia Barbery (tennis), Jake Hoffert (men's cross country) and Luke Shadid (baseball) – selected as the MVC Scholar-Athletes of the Year in their respective sports. In addition, Ari Boya (men's basketball) and Jack Franklin (men's cross country) joined Hoffert (men's indoor track) as MVC Elite 17 Award winners as student-athletes with the highest GPA among those competing in the finals of their respective conference championships.

Bradley's student-athletes once again exceeded the general student body population by posting a remarkable 3.50 collective grade point average during the 2019-20 school year and the Braves again have exceeded the NCAA Division I average (89 percent) and the average of the other nine Valley institutions (89.8 percent) by posting a 96 percent NCAA Graduation Success Rate.

Developing tomorrow's leaders remains a three-pronged approach at Bradley (i.e., excellence in the classroom, in competition, and in the community) and our B.O.L.D. for Life program continues to provide our student-athletes opportunities to serve those in need and gain leadership experience. The time and effort our student-athletes give to communities and organizations near and far truly is inspirational.

The steadfast support of the Bradley family continues to drive the academic and athletic performances of our student-athletes. The generosity of our alumni, season-ticket holders, fans and corporate sponsors makes it possible to continue to build a culture of championship success in every aspect of the student-athlete experience at Bradley University.

Thank you for your support in helping us develop the leaders of tomorrow. Your care, attention, and generosity is all greatly appreciated.

Go Braves!!

Chris Reynolds, Ph.D., J.D.
Bradley University Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics

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