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Track takes historical strides: Men finish 5th, women 7th in MVC Indoor Championships

The men’s Bradley track team placed fourth in an eight-team competition, and the women’s team placed seventh out of nine in last weekend’s Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship.

The women won the distance medley relay (DMR) for the first time in school history and the men placed in the top four and eighth spot in the 3,000-meter run to highlight the weekend for the Braves.

The team has improved in the conference indoor final standings in each of head coach Darren Gauson’s four years. Last year, the men’s team finished fifth and the women finished eighth.

Senior Michael Ward swept the 5,000-meter run and 3,000 for the second year in a row. The Great Britain native returned to the U.S. after visiting dental schools in his home country only two days before his historic performance.

His time of 14 minutes and 23.91 seconds in the 5,000 was his best collegiate time and sixth-best in school history. He became the first Valley athlete to sweep the distance events at back-to-back indoor meets since 2014.

“[The 5,000] is going to last with me for a while,” Ward said. “It was a real mental battle for me. I think there’s like four laps to go and I start shaking my arms out, just trying to get myself through it, knowing if I get within touching distance of the front with a lap or two to go. I know my capabilities.”

And Ward did know his capabilities. He took the lead and didn’t give it up. He won the 5,000 by a second over Illinois State’s Kyle Mattes.

“This year meant more if that means anything,” Ward said. “It was my last time around, and the Valley was arguably more competitive this year. Topping it off in the 3K was just special.”

A day later in the men’s 3,000, Mattes finished sixth behind Ward, senior Haran Dunderdale, senior Will Anderson, junior Jake Hoffert and Akis Medrano from Indiana State. Bradley sophomore Ben Wagoner finished eighth. The success came as a bit of a surprise to all including Gauson.

“The 3,000 was incredible and it went better than we expected,” Gauson said. “Overall, we scored record points and we beat Southern Illinois, which is great. For a smaller private [university] like us to beat a state school in track is huge.”

Four Braves qualified for the men’s 800-meter final: junior Alec Hartman, senior David Shadid, freshman Joey Simon and junior Scott Seymour. Gauson said he felt the men could have placed higher overall if the team performed better in the 800 and the mile.

“Having four in the final for the men was huge,” Gauson said. “Because we had so many guys in there, I think we respected our own teammates a lot and almost got in each others’ way. If it was just [Hartman] versus seven non-Bradley people, I think it would have been different and we probably would have won.”

On the women’s side, the DMR victory highlighted weekend for the women after the team finished in an underwhelming fourth place last season. Senior Niamh Markham said she was surprised that the team succeed in the DMR.

“We thought we had a chance to get a medal [this season],” Markham said. “This year, everyone was on form in the DMR coming into the meet. I was in denial that we could win when coach Gauson said we might have a chance of winning it. I just didn’t think it was that possible and shut it down the night before.”

When senior Kathryn Adelman handed the baton off after her 800 meters with a lead, Markham was in disbelief. Markham ran the longest leg of 1,600 meters to help Bradley claim the gold.

“As I was going along, I was being told I had 20 meters or so,” Markham said. “I turned the corner and started smiling and was like ‘Oh this is happening.’ The boys getting to nationals in [cross-country] was amazing, but the girls’ team making a little bit of school history was nice to have the tables flipped.”

The women’s team also had noteworthy performances in the 5,000, 3,000, mile and 800. Two runners finished in the top-5 in the 3,000.

With Ward and Markham graduating this summer, they both reflected on trying to cement a strong foundation for running at Bradley along with the other seniors. Ward said that this year’s success was what he’d been waiting for and worked to help his teammates by sharing experiences and feedback.

“This group dynamic we have got right now is working really well for us,” Ward said. “This year was all about trying to inspire the team and I really think we achieved that with the 3K … before that race we were kind of just laughing and enjoying the moment … I think that’s one legacy that we will leave: the team culture.”

The Braves now begin the outdoor season and Gauson said he hopes to qualify athletes for 10 NCAA regional events.

“The most we have ever had is six and I think we have a good chance which would be huge,” Gauson said. “We are going to be competitive on all fronts. We would like to be top-5 on the men’s side and score double again on the women’s side.”

Bradley is back in action March 23 in Carbondale, when they compete in the first outdoor meet at the Bill Cornell Spring Classic.

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