Peoria, Ill- Bradley Cross Country and Track and Field Head Coach Andrew Carlson announced twenty additions to the Bradley family for the 2024-25 season. Twelve women and eight men come to the Hilltop this upcoming season.
The Braves recently completed a successful season in both Cross Country and Track & Field. Notably, three athletes—Jack Crull, Julia Nielsen, and Nadia Potgieter—qualified for the NCAA preliminary rounds. At the MVC championship, both men's and women's cross country earned second place. Jayde Rosslee secured second place in the 10000m, Amiyah Davis finished third in the women's 400m, and Max Dieterich clinched third in the men's 1500m race. As the next season approaches, Bradley is looking to its incoming recruits to help elevate the team's performance and continue the program's success.
Gallery: (7-24-2024) Cross Country Signings
Women's Recruits
Skyler Balzer | McHenry, Illinois | McHenry High School
- 1600M: 5:06.55, 3200M: 11:03.99
- Illinois State Meet Qualifier in the 1600M and 3200M
"Skyler had a great senior track season and is a young athlete that is certainly on the rise. We are excited to have one of the best seniors in the state of Illinois join us on the Hilltop"
Eilén Brenne | Skien, Norway | University of Evansville
- 800M: 2:07.19, 400M: 56.63
- Nordic U20 Champion in the 800M, bronze medalist at Nordic U23 Championships
"Eilén has proven she has the talent to compete at the highest levels of the sport. Now we need to get her back on that trajectory, we couldn't be more excited to get work with Eilén"
Sophia Cino | Grimsby, Ontario | Blessed Trinity Catholic Secondary School
- 1500M: 4:43.18, 3000M: 10:06.03
- 1st at SOSSA, 4th at OFSAAA 3000M, 16th at U20 Canadian XC Championships
"Sophia is one of the top youth XC runners in Canada and I believe she has only started to scratch the surface of how good she can be on both the grass and the track. She will make an immediate impact in the MVC on the XC course"
Arianna Gashi | Plainfield, Illinois | Plainfield High School
- 400M specialist coming off a big PR from her previous year
"I am excited to welcome Arianna to Bradley and look forward to seeing her continued development working with our sprints group. She will make an immediate impact adding depth to our relay squad"
Sonja Izinger | Mautern, Austria | University of Evansville
- 3000M: 9:53.22, 5000M: 17:42.43
- Austrian U20 Cross Country Champion in 2023
"I have already been extremely impressed by Sonja's commitment to improvement and believe her future at longer distances is very bright. She will be a major piece to our XC team's aspirations for MVC Championships and beyond."
Carolina Martinez | Gurnee, Illinois | Warren Township High School
- 400M: 56.53
- Illinois State Meet 400M bronze medalist
"Carolina is one of the top long sprinters in the state of Illinois and will be a force in the MVC. She is going to be a tremendous leg on our talented 4x400 squad. Our sprints group continues to get stronger and Carolina is a major addition to that group"
Eimear McCarroll | Omagh, Ireland | Loreto Grammar School Omagh
- 800M: 2:11.65, 1500M: 4:26.60, 3000M: 9:48
- Ireland U20 1500M Champion, 2x 2nd 1500M, and 3rd 3000M
"Eimear is a star in the making. She has dropped her personal bests significantly throughout the winter and spring and it is incumbent on us to keep her progressing as an NCAA Championships caliber athlete"
Edel McCreery | Rathfarnham, Dublin | Loreto High School Beaufort
- 1500M: 4:38.0, 3000M: 10:04.17
- 5th at All-Ireland Senior Girls XC Championships, 3rd at U18 Irish Championships 3000M
"Edel is just starting the process of seeing how good she can be at this. After getting a medal at the Irish Championships this summer I believe we are just starting to see how good she can be".
Louise O'Mahony | County Clare, Ireland | Colaiste Muire
- 3000M: 9:43.55, 5000M: 16:48.65
- Ireland U20 5000M Champion, #27 World U18 5000M in 2023, Top-100 World U18 3000M in 2023
"Louise is one of the top European U18 athletes and we are very excited she chose to become a Brave. This first year will be about building Louise back into the athlete we believe she can be after an injury spell."
Julia de Palma | Seville, Spain | Ies Murillo
- 400Mh: 1:00.83, 60Mh: 8.67
- 7th Spain U18 400Mh, 6th Spain U18 60Mh
"As one of the top hurdlers in Spain, Julia is a major addition to our sprints group. Julia has the ability to be a factor in the NCAA's her first year and will aim for a podium finish at the MVC Championships. I am thrilled to welcome Julia to Bradley"
Olivia Redpath | Springfield, Illinois | Sacred Heart-Griffin
- 100M: 12.26, 60M: 7.92
- Illinois State Meet Qualifier in the 100M
"Liv will make an immediate impact on our program as a strong relay leg and a solid MVC performer. I expect Liv will develop quickly and see tremendous improvement working with our sprints group at Bradley. I am excited for what the future holds for Liv."
Rhune Vanroose | Buggenhout, Belgium | University of Louisville
- 3000M Steeplechase: 10:30.10, 3000M: 9:48.07, 1500M: 4:36.55
- Belgium steeplechase champion, 3rd at Belgium U20 Cross Country Championships
"Rhune is one of the top youth steeplechasers in Europe and will add much needed talent to that event area at Bradley. I am very confident in Rhune's ability to be a force at the NCAA level in the steeplechase and can't wait to pursue that level with Rhune"
Men's Recruits
Brayson Barth | Washington, Illinois | Washington High School
- 400M runner, former football player, and dual-sport athlete
"I was extremely impressed with Brayson's maturity and commitment to improvement in the recruiting process. He will be a great addition to our burgeoning sprints group."
Matthew Burnett | Pretoria, South Africa | Oos Moot
- 800M: 1:48.40, 1500M: 3:55.02
- South African U20 800M Champion, African U20 800m Finalist, World Top 30 U18 800M
"Matthew is a world class talent and will be a factor at the NCAA level the moment he steps on the track in the US. We can't wait to get him to Bradley and get to work but first he will take on the World at the U20 Championships in Lima, Peru"
Travis Gaffney | Brockville, Ontario | St. Mary Catholic High School
- 1500M: 3:50.07, 3000M: 8:24.08
- Canadian U18 XC Champion, OFSAA 3000M Champion, 7th at 1500M Commonwealth Games
"Travis is the top youth XC runner in Canada and has shown his prowess on both the track and XC course. Travis has the capability of making an immediate impact at the NCAA level this Fall and will be a force in both the MVC and NCAA throughout his collegiate career"
Isaac Lind | Lake St. Louis, Missouri | Lutheran High School of St. Charles
- 800M: 1:53.87
- 3rd in 800M at Missouri State Championships in 2023
"Isaac comes from a family of hard workers and I am thrilled to have two Lind brothers on the team this year. Isaac will add depth to our middle distance group and I expect him to make a major breakthrough in his first year on the Hilltop"
Michael O'Brien | Frankfort, Illinois | Lincoln Way East
- 3200M: 9:27.95
- Illinois State Meet Qualifier
"Michael is a diamond in the rough and came onto the scene in the middle of his senior year. I think Michael's upside is massive and I trust his work ethic and commitment will help him get there"
Jamie Phillips | Troon, Scotland | Marr College Secondary School
- 800M: 1:48.40, 1500M: 3:49.79
- Scottish U20 Champion in 800M and 1500M, 2nd at English Champs 800M
- Broke Scottish U20 800M Record with a time of 1:47.46
"Jamie is one of the UK's top U20 800M/1500M runners and will be an immediate factor at the NCAA Championship level. I feel very fortunate to add Jamie to our very competitive and deep middle distance group at Bradley"
Blake Postler | Weston, Wisconsin | DC Everest Senior High
- 300Mh: 37.52, 110Mh: 14.40
- 2nd 300Mh at Wisconsin State Championships, #41 US Senior 300Mh
"Welcoming one of the USA's best 300M hurdlers to the Hilltop is very exciting. Blake's tremendous ability is matched by his attitude, enthusiasm and commitment to the sport. I couldn't be more excited to see Blake pursue the highest level of the NCAA"
Bryndon Wallace | Mt. Zion, Illinois | Mt. Zion High School
- 100M: 10.92 Long Jump: 6.53m
- Illinois State Meet Qualifier in Long Jump
"Bryndon has the opportunity to help us in many ways. The ability to jump and sprint at his level will be invaluable to our team into the future. I am thrilled to bring Bryndon into our expanding sprints/jumps group"
