Bradley’s cross country teams hosted the Bradley Intercollegiate at Detweiller Park on Sept. 20. The Braves continued their strong start with team wins for the men’s 8K and women’s three-mile titles.
The Bradley men were led by fifth-year senior Michael Rebello, who won the men’s 8K individual title at 24:50.7 seconds. Rebello placed third last year in the Bradley Intercollegiate.
“It definitely feels good,” Rebello said. “Just coming back and knowing I am helping my team get what they need to do to get over the hump and just go one through five as a team… which I thought was the coolest part of it.”
Sophomore Parker Nold (24:58.5), junior Caden Simone (25:00.2), freshman Travis Gaffney (25:00.5) and junior Caleb Lind (25:02.0) rounded out the top five. Bradley finished the meet with 10 runners placing in the top 21.
It was the 10th consecutive year that the Braves won the men’s 8K team title, and it seems as if Detweiller Park holds a “home-field advantage” for Bradley.
“A lot of the kids on our team were from Illinois as well,” head coach Andrew Carlson said. “They’ve been racing at Detweiller Park since they were in junior high, and that’s where we train as well. I think it’s a mix of our home field, like the competition, and just how we approach it.”
The women’s three-mile was highlighted by junior Nadia Potgeiter’s back-to-back individual titles in the Bradley Intercollegiate. It also was her second individual title to start the season, as she placed first at the Hawkeye Invitational in August.
“I think the big thing that changed for me since my first year is just confidence going into the competition,” Potgieter said. “And that’s a big part that comes from the coach and the team as well, just the way that they have been supporting me through training.”
The Bradley women dominated the three-mile as the Braves held all but one spot in the top 11, and no runners placed outside the top 25. The three runners that finished after Potgeiter in the top five were senior Abigail Hancock (16:54.0), junior Kaitlyn Sheppard (17:02.0) and freshman Eimear McCarroll (17:20.1).
Carlson was pleased with his teams’ performances, especially considering the 90-degree heat the runners had to deal with.
“I felt like we competed well without the highest level of competition we’re going to face going forward,” Carlson said. “I think we took it really seriously, though, and we performed well, so I think in the bigger moments we’ll be ready because it’s become more of a habit now. ”
As the Braves prepare for their next meet at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invite on Oct. 4, Carlson wants to see his teams raise their standard with the surrounding competition.
“I think from this point forward, it just never gets easier,” Carlson said. “Notre Dame is a big invite, for some of the top teams in the country will be there. And then, obviously, the [Bradley Pink Classic] is the same, and then we’re into the conference and then regional.”
Be First to Comment