The Bradley track teams achieved several personal records at the Illinois Twilight Meet last Saturday.
Freshman Abby Jockisch placed second in the 5,000m run with a time of 17:22.24. She bested her previous time by 21 seconds and now ranks 12th all-time for the Braves in the event.
“I wanted to make sure I had a good one under my belt before conference,” Jockisch said. “I really just want to help the team and contribute as much as I can.”
Head coach Darren Gauson said he was pleased with Jockisch’s performance and hopes she can continue to improve as the season goes on.
“She closed really well,” Gauson said. “She is in a good position to score at conference.”
The Braves were led in the 1,500m by freshman Gabby Juarez with a time of 4:36.25. Juarez earned a fifth place finish and was followed by senior Rachel Sudbury, who placed eighth with a time of 4:42.16.
On the men’s side, sophomore David Shadid placed second in the 400m dash with a season-best time of 48.31. Shadid’s time puts him as the sixth-fastest time in the conference this season.
“I haven’t been racing as well as I wanted to,” Shadid said. “I struggled and fought in the last 100 meters.”
Junior Taylor Floyd Mews dropped six seconds from his previous personal record in the 1,500m. Floyd Mews’s time of 3:49.61 was enough to win his heat and place sixth on Bradley’s all-time list.
“He really ran away from the field,” Gauson said. “He is only three or four second off from being an NCAA Regional Qualifier.”
Overall, Gauson said he was pleased with the team’s performance.
“I thought we competed really well,” Gauson said. “We rested the 5,000m and 10,000m people.”
Based on this meet, Gauson is looking ahead to the Missouri Valley Conference Championships in a few weeks.
“I think the men have a good shot at top five or top four,” Gauson said. “The women are in a way better place than they were indoors, but it is tough after losing so many seniors last year.”
The Braves will split between the Drake Relays and the Valparaiso Crusader Open this weekend before MVC Conference Championships in two weeks.
