“This is the best team in school history.”
Bradley cross country head coach Darren Gauson told The Scout he had the best team in school history this August. Last Friday, they became the first Bradley cross country team to qualify for the NCAA Championship. They finished second in the NCAA Midwest Region.
Gauson earned the men’s Midwest Region Coach of the Year Award to go along with his Missouri Valley Conference Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year Awards this season. The men’s team has won the MVC four consecutive seasons. They also placed in the top ten of the Midwest Regional in each of those four years.
Gauson and the cross country team’s list of accolades and accomplishments are numerous.
This kind of success at the conference, regional and national level is something Bradley has not seen in many years.
Chris Reynolds, vice president of intercollegiate athletics, has made four head coaching hires in his time at Bradley. Although all of the new head coaches have improved their record since taking over, no head coach has performed better than Gauson.
It was remarkable to see the excitement from the team after qualifying for nationals and all the support from Bradley students and fans.
We commend the cross country team for their commitment to their sport and doing something many Bradley teams have not done. They have given Bradley fans something to be proud of.
Even though the accomplishments of some lesser known sports often go unnoticed, The Scout has not missed the continued dominance of the cross country team.
We hope other teams at Bradley can continue to follow the lead of the men’s golf team and cross country program, as teams that have qualified for NCAA national competition in the last year.
