If there were ever any doubts that Bradley was the best cross country program in the Missouri Valley Conference, they were put to rest last Saturday. The Braves won both the men’s and women’s MVC cross country championships at Newman Golf Course in Peoria.
Going into the meet, both Bradley squads were favored to win. As the women’s 5,000-meter race started and the lead pack began to take shape, head coach Darren Gauson was not nearly as nervous as one might expect.
“I felt quite comfortable in the women’s race,” Gauson said. “Once we were around [2,000 meters] and [3,000 meters] in that all we had to do was maintain [our position].”
They did just that, and the women took home their second straight cross country championship, the fourth one in the last five years.
Junior Gabby Juarez led the Braves individually, placing third overall with a time of 17 minutes 17 seconds. Her time was the fifth fastest in Bradley history and her personal best by over 13 seconds.
“I am really happy with my performance,” Juarez said. “I couldn’t ask for more than a top five finish.”
Juarez and freshman duo Tyler Schwartz and Ayah Aldadah received First-Team All-Valley honors. Schwartz was also named Valley Freshman of the Year.
The women’s team held off on their celebration for just under a half an hour to see if the men could also take home the team championship. Gauson was significantly more nervous throughout the men’s 8,000-meter race than he had been for the women’s.
“I thought the conference did a really good job of attacking us… from five, six, seven and eight kilometers,” Gauson said. “We did a better job of just toughing it out.”
Illinois State held a slim lead in the team standings four kilometers in, a good reason for Gauson to be concerned.
Senior and team leader Michael Ward finished just one second off his school record with a time 24:04:7. He was the Braves’ top performer individually, finishing second overall. Ward was hindered by a calf injury at times this season, but expressed confidence in his ability to keep pushing to the finish line.
“I’m one of those people that I feel like with every race I can get better,” Ward said. “I don’t think I was 100 percent today, but it was definitely a step in the right direction. I’m really excited for the next two weeks to see what I can produce.”
Ward, senior Haran Dunderdale and junior Jake Hoffert collected first-team All-Valley honors, by finishing in the top 10 individually. Redshirt freshman Jack Franklin, who finished 15th overall, was selected as the Valley Freshman of the Year.
Ward and Hoffert became just the third and fourth Braves in school history to collect all-conference honors three times in cross country, joining Rod Collins (1964-66) and Eric Huey (1980, 82-83) on the exclusive list.
Finally, Gauson was named Coach of the Year for both the men’s and women’s cross country programs. Between the two teams, he has won seven Coach of the Year awards in his four years at Bradley.
The celebration for both teams will be short-lived. The Braves will now set their sights on the NCAA Midwest Regionals on Friday, Nov. 9. The races will be held at Newman Golf Course. The women will run at 11 a.m. followed by the men at noon.
