The men and women’s track teams continued their indoor season with another impressive weekend at the Eastern Illinois Invitational as four Braves placed first in their respective events.
Freshman Alec Hartman continued his impressive rookie season by breaking another Bradley record in the 600m run. Not to be outdone, his teammate junior Taylor Floyd Mews won the mile run for the second straight year at Eastern.
On the women’s side, senior Rachel Sudbury returned from injury to capture the 800m title. Sophomore Gabby Juarez won the 3,000m run despite never competing in the event at the collegiate level.
“This was my first [3,000m] so I was a little unsure and a little uncomfortable,” Juarez said. “I don’t think I was expecting to win, [but] it just worked out.”
Head coach Darren Gauson said he was impressed with Juarez’s performance in her first competitive attempt at the event.
“I thought Gabby did really well,” head coach Darren Gauson said. “We wanted to see if she could make it into the elite section of conference. She looked really good.”
Victories from Juarez, a healthy Sudbury and rebound performances from freshman Kirstin Oakley give confidence to a less experienced women’s squad. The men’s team will look to continue their momentum.
“On the men’s side, we’re in a really good spot,” Gauson said. “We’ve got some quick times and we’ve set some school records. We just want to have a really good day one … On the women’s side, we’re looking for key people to step up and perform; we’re looking to be competitive with Loyola and Drake.”
With the MVC championships kicking off this weekend in Cedar Falls, Iowa, both squads will be hungry for a championship come Saturday.
