Bradley University Athletics

HONORS & AWARDS
Two-Time Missouri Valley Conference Indoor 3,000m Champion: 2018, 2019
Two-Time Missouri Valley Conference Indoor 5,000m Champion: 2018, 2019
Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor 5,000m Champion: 2016
Missouri Valley Conference Indoor DMR Champion: 2015
2014 Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Freshman of the Year
Two-Time NCAA All-Midwest Region (Cross Country): 2016, 2018
Three-Time All-Missouri Valley Conference (Cross Country): 2015, 2016, 2018
11-Time All-Missouri Valley Conference (Track & Field): 2015 (Indoor 3,000m, Indoor DMR), 2016 (Indoor Mile, Outdoor 1,500m, Outdoor 5,000m), 2018 (Indoor 3,000m, Indoor 5,000m), 2019 (Indoor 3,000m, 5,000m, Outdoor 1,500m, Outdoor 5,000m)
NCAA Cross Country Championship Qualifier: 2016 (individual), 2018 (team)
NCAA West Preliminary Qualifier: 2015 (1,500m, 5,000m), 2016 (5,000m), 2017 (1,500m, 5,000m), 2019 (10,000m)
MVC Cross Country Athlete of the Week: Sept. 20, 2016; Oct. 18, 2016;
MVC Track Athlete of the Week: Jan. 30, 2018; Jan. 29, 2019
66th Charles Orsborn Award Winner
2018-19 Missouri Valley Conference Dr. Charlotte West Scholar-Athlete Award
Two-Time Bradley Varsity Club Men's Most Outstanding Athlete: 2017-18 & 2018-19

ACADEMIC HONORS
MVC Elite 18 Award (Cross Country): 2015
USTFCCCA All-Academic Team (Cross Country): 2016, 2018
USTFCCCA All-Academic Team (Track & Field): 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
MVC Scholar-Athlete (Cross Country): 2015, 2016, 2018
MVC Scholar-Athlete (Track & Field): 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week: (03-01-18, 01-31-18, 11-15-16, 10-18-16, 09-20-16, 04-05-16 & 11-03-15)
Bradley COUNTRY Financial Scholar-Athlete of the Week: (02-13-19, 01-30-19, 10-31-18, 02-28-18, 01-30-18, 11-16-16, 11-02-16, 10-19-16, 10-05-16 & 02-10-16)
MVC President's Council Academic Award: 2018
MVC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
MVC Honor Roll: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Bradley Athletic Director's Honor Roll (10): Fall '14, Spring '15, Fall '15, Spring '16, Fall '16, Spring '17, Fall '17, Spring '18, Fall '18, Spring '19

CAREER BESTS & RESULTS

2018-19 SEASON
Cross Country: Named to the NCAA All-Midwest Region for the second time in his career • Became the third Brave to receive All-Missouri Valley Conference accolades for the third time • Helped lead the Braves to their fourth-straight conference title and their first-ever appearance at the NCAA Championship • Finished as the runner-up at the conference meet with a season-best time of 24:04.7 – just missing his own school record by 1.6 seconds • Earned all-region honors at the NCAA Midwest Regional with a 23rd-place finish, helping the Braves place second as a team and earn the team’s first-ever bid to the NCAA Championship • Crossed the line in 106th place at the NCAA Championship in 30:40.3 as Bradley finished 24th as a team at the national meet • BU’s top finisher at both the MVC and NCAA Championships • Added top-10 showings at the Bradley Intercollegiate (2nd) and Bradley Pink Classic (9th).
 
Indoor: Swept the distance titles at the Missouri Valley Conference Championship for the second-straight season, winning the 3,000m and 5,000m crowns on back-to-back nights • Became just the third runner in MVC history to win both events in two-consecutive seasons • Ran the second-fastest 3,000m in conference history, breaking his own school record twice during the season with a PR time of 7:57.22 at Iowa State – which also ranks as the 36th-quickest time in the country in 2019 • Also earned MVC Male Athlete of the Week honors after running the event in 7:57.88 at Washington • Set his PR during his winning performance in the 5,000m at the conference meet with a mark of 14:23.91 – the sixth-best time in school history.
 
Outdoor: Two-time all-conference honoree in the 1,500m and 5,000m, finishing as runner-up in both events at the MVC Championship • Set the school record in the 10,000m run at the Raleigh Relays, recording a time of 29:16.20 • Advanced to the NCAA Semifinals in the event, finishing 44th with a mark of 30:22.34 • Posted season-best times of 3:44.87 in the 1,500m run and 14:17.11 in the 5,000m run.

2017-18 SEASON
Cross Country: Did not compete during the cross country season.
 
Indoor: First Brave in program history to win two individual titles at a single indoor conference championship, completing the distance double with the 3,000m and 5,000m crowns at the Missouri Valley Conference Championship • Ran the 5,000m for the first time in his career to complete the sweep with a time of 14:49.53 – the eighth-best mark in school history • Set the school record in the 3,000m run earlier in the season at the Washington Invitational, becoming the first Brave to break eight minutes with a new BU standard of 7:58.64 • Broke the school record by more than six seconds, while finishing with the nation’s 36th-best time in 2018 • Named MVC Track Athlete of the Week following his performance in Seattle.
 
Outdoor: Did not race during the outdoor season.

2016-17 SEASON
Cross Country: Named to the NCAA All-Midwest Region • Earned All-Missouri Valley Conference honors • Became the first BU man to qualify for the NCAA Championship, where he placed 71st in the country of 251 runners at the national meet with a time of 30:41.9 • Earned his invitation to the NCAA Championship by finishing ninth at the NCAA Midwest Regional • His ninth-place finish was nine spots better than the previous BU record at the meet and his time of 30:33.7 broke his own school record in the 10K by 15 seconds • Finished second at the MVC Championship to lead Bradley to its second-straight crown • His second-place finish was the best by a Brave in 51 years • Overall, led the Braves in each of the five team meets he competed at during the program’s most successful season in school history • Two-time MVC Male Cross Country Athlete of the Week • Won the Bradley Intercollegiate with his time of 24:30.3 ranking as the best by a Brave in the 30 years of the race • Also placed 21st overall at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational and 16th at the Pre-National Invitational.
 
Indoor: Did not compete during the indoor season.
 
Outdoor: NCAA West Preliminary qualifier in the 1,500m and 5,000m • Placed fourth in the 5,000m run at the Missouri Valley Conference Championship • Posted season-best times of 3:46.36 in the 1,500m and 14:04.35 in the 5,000m • Won the individual title in the 1,500m run at the Bill Cornell Spring Classic, while placing second at the Drake Relays.

2015-16 SEASON
Cross Country: Earned All-Missouri Valley Conference honors • MVC Elite 18 Award winner at the MVC Cross Country Championship • Finished fifth at the Bradley Intercollegiate • Took 26th at the Notre Dame Invitational to pace the Braves in the field • Second among MVC finishers and tops on the team at Pre-Nationals with a 75th-place showing • Broke the Bradley 8K record (24:03.07) at the MVC Cross Country Championship and his fourth-place conference finish was the best by a Brave since 1983 • Also broke the school mark in the 10K (30:48.7), finishing 28th at the NCAA XC Regional for best showing by a Brave at NCAA Regional since 1986 • Was Bradley’s top finisher in four of his five cross country meets.
 
Indoor: Earned All-MVC honors in both the mile and 3,000m run • Broke the Bradley indoor mile record at the Meyo Invitational with a time of 4:02.86 to finish second • Also broke the school indoor 3,000m mark at the Iowa State Classic, crossing the line at 8:05.66 • Took third in the mile and fifth in the 3,000m at the MVC Indoor Championship.
 
Outdoor: Ran in the 5,000m at the 2016 NCAA West Prelim in Lawrence, Kan. • Won the 5,000m title at the 2016 MVC Outdoor Track & Field Championship, becoming the first BU man in 30 years to win a conference title • Earned All-MVC honors in the 1,500m and 5,000m, placing second at the conference championship in the 1,500m • Set school record in the 1,500m and 5,000m during the outdoor season • Won the 1,500m to open the outdoor campaign at the Bill Cornell Invite • Became first Bradley runner to break 14 minutes in the 5,000m, clocking a 13:54.99 at the Stanford Invitational • In his only 800m outing of the year, Ward’s time of 1:52.82 at the Redbird Invitational was second in school history behind the 1991 school record • Set the school record in the 1,500m at the Virginia Challenge with a time of 3:44.33 • Finished fifth in his heat the Drake Relays • Placed 26th in the 5,000m at the NCAA West Preliminary. 

2014-15 SEASON
Cross Country: Did not make his Bradley debut until Pre-Nationals in mid-October • Named Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year after finishing 21st at the MVC Cross Country Championship as he helped the Braves to a third-place team finish • Clocked the fifth-best 10K time in school history at the NCAA Midwest Regional, finishing 62nd.
 
Indoor: Came on strong during the indoor track season, earning all-conference honors in the 3,000m • Part of a school-record setting distance medley relay team, which won the title at the MVC Indoor Championship • Took second in the 3,000m at the MVC Indoor Championship • Set school records in both the mile (4:06.35) and 3,000m (8:10.22) during the indoor season in addition to his 800m time ranking seventh all-time at Bradley.
 
Outdoor: Qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary in both the 1,500m and 5,000m, but was slowed by an injury late in the spring • Broke school records in the 1,500m (3:44.56) and 5,000m (13:58.21) during the outdoor campaign • His 5,000m mark topped a 1986 school record by 40 seconds • Missed the MVC Outdoor Championship due to injury • Was just the second individual in the MVC to break 14 minutes in the 5,000m since 2007.

HIGH SCHOOL
Represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the World Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland • Also played rugby and soccer in high school.

PERSONAL
Son of Jan and Andrew Ward, Michael was born in Cardiff, South Wales • Three siblings – Rebecca, Rose and Kayleigh • Earned his bachelor's in biochemistry and pursuing his master's in business administration.