In a season that keeps getting better, Bradley’s cross country team is proving the buzz is justified.
They continued their dream regular season with one last meet at their own Pink Classic, where they crushed the competition, winning both the men’s and women’s races by double-digit point margins.
The men’s team had three runners in the top 10. Junior Travis Gaffney placed 10th, graduate student Caleb Lind placed seventh and senior Jayde Rosslee placed first, running nearly 24 seconds faster than second place. Many of the Braves set personal bests, and the team finished 39 points ahead of second place.
It’s an important result for Rosslee as he heads into a postseason where he’ll try to qualify for NCAA Cross Country Championships for the second year in a row. He’s undoubtedly making the most of every opportunity.
The women’s team also had three runners in the top 10, with freshman Pauline Kleesiek at 10th, senior Rhune Vanroose at eighth and sophomore Noelle Steines finishing first. It was a tireless campaign for the women’s side as Steines won by a seven-second margin, and the team was only 14 points ahead of second-place Grand Valley State.
The most notable part of their performance was how well the underclassmen ran. With freshmen and sophomores already delivering strong results, the team’s future looks incredibly bright.
A week from now, the Braves will travel to Des Moines, Iowa, for the Missouri Valley Conference Championship. Both the men’s and women’s teams hope to win together for the third straight year.
Beyond that, it’s the NCAA Midwest Regional and then the NCAA Cross Country Championships. These three meets are what the entire season has been building up to.
The Braves are ready to put on a show.
