Bradley’s cross country team is no stranger to winning, especially against conference opponents. Last Friday, they cruised to the Missouri Valley Conference championship in both the men’s and women’s divisions in record-breaking fashion.
The men’s team won with 49 points to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s 74. Junior JD Rosslee won with a 24:01.52 time –17 seconds faster than the runner-up –while senior Caleb Lind finished fourth with a solid 24:27.41. Following the meet, Rosslee won MVC men’s cross country athlete of the year, the first time a Brave has won it since 2019.
“We worked hard for this,” Rosslee said regarding his team’s performance. “We went through some pretty bad, rough spots, but it was good to get the win, show our fitness and show what we’re really capable of.”
The women’s team had an even more dominant victory with an MVC meet record 15 points compared to runner-up Indiana State’s 85. The top six finishers were all from Bradley, including sophomore Kaitlyn Sheppard and senior Abigail Hancock. Sheppard won the MVC women’s cross country athlete of the year following the meet. She’s the first Brave to win the award since 2022.
“I could see them when I was turning the corner,” Sheppard said, describing her teammates. “I saw a sea of red and it was really special because we’ve never had that many girls finish so highly before.”
Head coach Andrew Carlson has been instrumental in the Braves’ fitness and in their consistently performing at the highest level. His leadership means this team can compete with any team in the country.
“It’s a culture that’s been passed down over the last decade at Bradley,” Carlson said. “If you come in and you’re not ready to work hard and you’re not into this, you’re an outsider. I think the majority of the people we have here are really bought in and trying to get the best out of themselves.”
Moving forward, the Braves look to repeat their dominance at regionals next week. The team is confident and ready for any challenges that may come. They know how good they are and every meet is a chance to prove that.
“I think we’re gonna go out there and prove a lot of people wrong,” Rosslee said.
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