Bradley University Athletics

Braves Targets Additional Valley Cross Country Titles Wednesday

Cross Country 3/2/2021 1:17:00 PM

The Bradley cross country teams are set for the 2021 Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championship on Wednesday, looking to continue their dominance at the conference meet.

MEET INFO
The women's 5K begins at noon, while the men's 8K is slated for 12:45 p.m. Evansville is hosting the meet at Angel Mounds, however no spectators will be permitted this season due to COVID protocols.

The top 10 finishers in both races will earn all-conference honors, while 11th through 15th will earn honorable-mention selection.

2019 CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP
The Bradley men won the title in dominating fashion during the 2019 campaign, setting a modern-day MVC record with 17 points. Jake Hoffert won his second-straight individual title as Bradley posted the top four finishers and five of the top seven.

The Bradley women finished second to Loyola one season ago. McKenzie Altmayer and Tyler Schwartz both earned all-conference honors for the second time during their career to lead the Braves.

MEN AIM FOR HISTORIC SIXTH TITLE
The Bradley men are looking for history at the 2021 Missouri Valley Conference Championship. The Braves have won the last five titles, starting with its 2015 crown. Bradley is just the second school in conference history to win five-straight championships – joining Wichita State from 1971 to 1975 – and now look to become the first program to claim six-straight crowns.

NEW LOOK BRAVES
The one challenge for the Bradley men's program as they go for the sixth-straight title is the new faces running on Wednesday. Only three runners – Alec Danner, Alec Hartman and Drew Wenger – have run at a conference meet before with Danner and Wenger earning honorable mention all-conference honors in 2017 and 2019 (both finishing 14th), respectively, while Hartman placed 16th last season.

WOMEN LOOK TO EXTEND RUN
The Bradley women are also on a historic streak at the conference championship. The Braves have finished in the top two at the meet in seven-straight seasons – winning the title in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018. BU's seven-year run is one shy of the conference record – currently, Wichita State from 2005 to 2012 is the only school to finish in the top two for eight-straight seasons.

LIPSCOMB WINTER CLASSIC RECAP
The Braves competed in only one meet during the regular season with both BU teams finishing ahead of a pair of Valley rivals.

The Bradley women won a tiebreaker with Loyola in a battle of the last three conference champions. Wilma Nielsen was the team's top finisher (seventh), while Altmayer was second (14th).

The Bradley men also finished easily ahead of Valley rivals Illinois State and Loyola. Danner led BU by finishing 14th, while Matt Aho was in 16th.

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