BRADLEY - For the first time in school history, the Bradley Braves are headed to the NCAA Cross Country Championship as the men's team placed second at the NCAA Midwest Regional. The Braves also become the first Valley school since 2000 to qualify for the national meet, earning the automatic bid at Peoria's Newman Golf Course on Friday.
"We have been working on this for three years," said Bradley head coach Darren Gauson. "This is all the work we have put in that has led to this moment. Our first year, we win our first Valley Championship and that was a dream. Then the following year, we almost qualified and that group paved the way for this program to do new things. We redshirted some guys in 2017 to try and qualify this year and the fact that we did it, just feels real good right. This team has worked really hard over the years and during the summer and I couldn't be more proud right now."
With the top two teams qualifying automatically for the NCAA Championship, Bradley edged out Tulsa for the final bid by just five points. The Braves recorded 102 points for the second-place total, while the Golden Hurricane finished with 107 points.
The four-time reigning Missouri Valley Conference Champions, the Braves placed five runners in the top-35 on Friday with four earning NCAA All-Midwest Region honors by crossing the finish line among the first 25 runners. Junior Luke Hoffert led the pack by placing 12th in the 10K meet in a time of 31:14.7. Running in his first collegiate regional after battling through injuries during his career, Hoffert ran the 10th-fastest 10K in Bradley history to lead the Braves in a race for the first time in his collegiate career.
Following closely behind Hoffert was senior Haran Dunderdale (31:18.8), junior Jake Hoffert (31:21.2), senior Michael Ward (31:27.9) and junior Will Anderson (31:46.7). Of the Braves top five finishers on Friday, only one ran one year ago as Luke Hoffert missed out with injury and Dunderdale, Ward and Anderson all redshirted the 2017 campaign with their eyes on qualifying for the 2018 national meet.
Bradley is the first Valley school in 18 years to qualify as a team for the NCAA Championship as the Illinois State men last represented the league in 2000. The Braves also topped their previous best finish of fifth at the regional meet, set in 2016.
Iowa State, ranked sixth in the latest national rankings, won the Midwest Region with 38 total points. No. 21 Oklahoma State placed fourth with 124 points, while Minnesota rounded out the top five with 173.
The Bradley women began the day by placing ninth of 34 schools – two spots higher than BU was ranked in the latest regional poll.
Junior Gabby Juarez became the first Brave in three years to earn NCAA All-Midwest Region accolades as she placed 15th overall in a time of 20:56.5. Juarez shaved nearly 30 seconds off her previous PR time and clocked the fifth-fastest 6K time in school history to collect her all-region honors.
Freshman Tyler Schwartz finished second on the team and recorded the seventh-best time by a rookie at the meet when she placed 40th in 21:27.6. Senior Niamh Markham (21:37.9), freshman Ayah Aldadah (21:40.5) and junior Abby Jockisch (21:43.3) rounded out the top five for the Braves on Friday.
"I thought both teams, from person-to-person, were just excellent for us today," Gauson said. "The women were just 33 points off from finishing fourth and Gabby was all-region. Tyler and Ayah had really good runs as a freshman. Niamh was incredible and Abby fought really hard. Across the board we were excellent. I'm really happy for both programs, what we've done and where we're headed."
Iowa State swept the Midwest titles with 78 points on the women's side. Oklahoma State (140), Minnesota (185), Illinois (203) and Northwestern (205) completed the top five in the team rankings.
The Bradley men now turn their attention toward the NCAA Championship, held in Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday, Nov. 17. The Braves make their debut in the national meet with the men's 10K slated for 11:45 a.m.
DRAKE - PEORIA, Ill. – The Drake University cross country teams closed the 2018 campaign Friday morning at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship in Peoria, Illinois.
The Bulldogs turned in strong individual performances but did not hit the necessary team or individual marks to advance to the NCAA Championship, ending a solid second season for the program under second-year director of track & field and cross country Mark Carroll.
The men's team turned in a 15th place performance in the 31-team field behind Kevin Kelly's 31st place finish among 208 runners. Kelly finished the 10k course, the Bulldogs' first 10k of the year, in 31:45.7. Kyle Brandt also recorded a top-50 finish in 46th place at 32:07.1.
Rachel Selva led the women's team as she was the first Bulldog to cross the finish line. She came in 139th in the 232-runner field with a time of 22:32.3 on the 6-kilometer course. Olivia Rogers and MyKaela Cole finished behind her in 153rd and 165th places, respectively. As a team, Drake's women's team finished 29th out of 34 teams with a very young lineup that featured only one upperclassmen and just five runners competing at the Regional Championship.
Following Friday's NCAA Midwest Regional Championship, Drake's cross country student-athletes will briefly recuperate from the rigors of the season to prepare for the upcoming indoor track and field schedule. The Bulldogs open up the indoor season Dec. 7-8, 2018, at the Jimmy Grant Invite in Iowa City, Iowa.
ILLINOIS STATE - At Friday's NCAA Division I Cross Country Midwest Regional, hosted by Bradley, in Peoria, Illinois, senior Kyle Mattes earned All-Region distinction for the second-consecutive year, leading the Illinois State men to a ninth place finish, their highest since the 2001 season.
"I'm extremely proud of the men for finishing the season with two very strong championship performances," said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Jeff Bovee. "We ran a more conservative race this week as compared to at the MVC Championships, and our patience paid off, earning us our highest regional finish in 17 years."
Competing in his first 10K of the season, Mattes remained poised for the entirety of the race, positioning himself in the lead pack early on and staying steady as the race progressed. As the pace picked up over the final 2K of the competition, he never faltered, eventually finishing eighth with a time of 31:04.60. Mattes, who placed seventh at the 2017 NCAA Midwest Regional, becomes the first Redbird to earn back-to-back All-Region accolades since Ryan Rutherford in 2013 and 2014.
As the current 2018 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship picture stands, Mattes is right on the bubble. With Regional Champion Iowa State and Runner-Up Bradley claiming the automatic team bids out of the Midwest Region, Mattes is the fifth student-athlete in line to earn one of the region's four individual qualifying spots. This will be decided tomorrow evening when the NCAA grants its at-large bids at 4 p.m. CT on NCAA.com in their inaugural NCAA Cross Country Selection Show. Mattes can earn a spot in next weekend's NCAA Championship if Oklahoma State receives an at-large team bid or if he is awarded one of two individual at-large bids.
As for the rest of the Redbird men, they close out the 2018 cross country season ranked ninth in the Midwest Region, their best finish in 17 years. Kevin Koski ended his junior campaign with a top-50 regional finish, placing 49th with a personal-best 10K time of 32:07.80. Cody Baele (32:22.90), Jack Anstey (32:27.50), and Kimathi Johnson (32:32.90) ran as a pack effectively, placing 64th, 69th, and 77th, respectively, and completing the scoring for the 'Birds.
On the women's side, the Redbirds finished two spots higher at this year's regional meet than last year, placing 20th among 34 teams. The women's team showed constant improvement over the course of the season, and that was no different today, as all five of the Redbird scorers achieved 6K personal-bests.
Audrey Janik was the first ISU runner to cross the finish line for the third time this season, placing 68th in 21:45.40. Rachel Hickey followed closely behind, finishing 69th in 21:46.60 to complete an impressive freshman campaign. Kennidi Knoblock (22:21.50) and Annie Moore (22:25.0) also finished within seconds of each other, placing 120th and 126th, respectively. Rachel Hoffman rounded out the top-five for the 'Birds, clocking in at 22:49.60 to finish 162nd and score in back-to-back meets.
INDIANA STATE - Senior Akis Medrano led the way for Sycamore Cross Country on a cold and rainy Friday at the Great Lakes Regional with an All-Region performance in the men's 10K race.
The Indiana State women placed 19th in the 6K race with 516 points, edging out 13 other teams in the region while the men earned a 17th place finish with 492 points and defeated 12 regional teams. The Michigan women claimed the regional crown for the seventh time in eight years and Wisconsin claimed the title on the men's side.
"Both teams fell short of our goal today and that's a reflection of the coach," Associate Head Coach for Cross Country Kyle Walsh said. "I didn't have us ready as a unit and we were not nearly tough enough in the middle parts of the race. We got out poorly and didn't move up like we needed to. I've got to do a better job mentally preparing us tor race the level of our fitness."
Akis Medrano ran an incredible race for the Sycamores with his strongest performance at a regional meet in his career. The Boswell, Ind.-native battled with some of the nation's best athletes and climbed through the standings, as he found himself in 63rd through 3K and ended in 14th overall with a personal-best and 15th-fastest 10K time in school history of 31:27.40. If Purdue and Indiana earn team at-large bids to the NCAA Championships, Medrano will earn a spot in the NCAA Championships as well. Sophomore Cam Trout stuck with the chase pack early, recording a placement of 32nd through 3K, but ended up as the second runner for ISU in 113th place at 33:11.50.
"Akis stole the show for the Sycamores and did exactly what he needed to do," Walsh said. "Earning All-Region honors is extremely difficult in this Great Lakes Region and I'm so proud he got it done. John Mascari is a huge role model for Akis and he wanted to be the first Sycamores since John to place top-25 at the NCAA Regional. He was in great position throughout the first five kilometers and the race really started to move between seven and eight kilometers. Unfortunately for Akis, he took a spill and landed on all fours. He immediately got up and locked back in mentally, moving through the pack. He had an amazing finish to move into the top-15 and now we play the waiting game. He did everything he could and ran the best cross country race of his life and we are extremely excited. We are hopeful he'll be one of the individual qualifiers once the team scoring around the nation concludes."
Following closely behind Trout was Isaac Bentz, the 800-meter run specialist in track and field, who placed 114th with a time of 33:12.20. The fourth scorer for the blue and white was freshman Noah Hufnagel who clocked a time of 33:14.60 for 117th place in his first ever Great Lakes Regional. Youth continued to shine for ISU, as freshman Nick Yeend rounded out the Sycamore scorers with a time of 33:35.90 for the 134th position.
On the women's side, Indiana State posted two top-100 finishes in the 6K race. Redshirt junior Brooke Moore clocked the top time of the day for the women, finishing 42nd overall with a time of 21:25.50. Finding herself in 46th with 1K remaining in the race, Moore made a push at the end to take back four spots and earn her 42nd place finish. After earning All-MVC Honorable Mention two weeks ago, Alli Workman raced to a 72nd place overall finish on Friday with a respectable time of 22:06.20.
"I'm really proud of the way Brooke stuck her neck out there and put herself in position for a top-25 finish. After a school-record performance at the MVC Championships, she hasn't been able to train much with a knee issue, but stepped up and gave her all for her team today. She has a senior season of track ahead of her plus she'll be back here next year for her senior cross country season," Walsh said.
Fifth-year senior Jessi Conley ran third for the trees at regionals, finishing just outside of the top-100 in 109th while recording a time of 22:35.50. Concluding a solid freshman campaign, Jocelyn Quiles took the fourth scoring spot for the Sycamores by finishing at 23:07.40 in 142nd place. The fifth and final scoring spot for the women came from Megan Doty, who scored in her last collegiate cross country meet with a time of 23:16.30, good for 151st.
"Alli Workman is always a gamer and put together a solid race to end her junior season," Walsh said. "I've got to do a better job developing the rest of our team to be able to pack together with her and make our team competitive in the region."
It's now a waiting game for Akis Medrano, as the NCAA will announce at-large athletes who will compete at the NCAA Championships on Saturday at 5 p.m. The NCAA Championships will be hosted by Wisconsin and held at the Zimmer Championship Course.
"We will miss Akis', Jessi's and Megan's performances and leadership next cross country season. Everyone else that competed returns to the squad next year and we have several who redshirted that will make a big impact. I feel like we will be a very different looking team next fall and return to the level we expect of ourselves in the team scoring," Walsh said.
LOYOLA - Redshirt senior Lindsey Brewis claimed All-Region honors to highlight the day for the Loyola University Chicago cross country teams at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Peoria, Ill.
Loyola's women's side totaled 414 points to finish 16th in the team race, landing in front of Missouri Valley Conference rivals Illinois State, Missouri State, UNI, Drake and Southern Illinois. In the men's standings, the Maroon & Gold checked in with 457 points to take 16th as well, finishing ahead of Valley foes UNI and Southern Illinois.
Brewis continued a scintillating final cross country campaign with the Maroon & Gold today in Central Illinois. The Dearborn, Mich. product came through in 20:34.7 to finish seventh overall, a seven-spot improvement from a year ago, en route to earning her second All-Region selection from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) in as many years.
The Ramblers' First Team All-Valley pairing of sophomore Mimi Reimers and freshman Claire Hengesbaugh came in second and third, respectively. Reimers claimed 44th in 21:29.9, while Hengesbaugh crossed in 21:50.6 to take 78th. Junior Rita Maurais posted a time of 22:15.9, finishing 112th. Freshman Anya Brett rounded out the Loyola top five in 173rd at 23:03.9.
Leading the Loyola attack in the men's 10k was redshirt junior Kevin White. White, out of Wooster, Ohio, finished in 32:28.6, shaving two seconds off his previous cross country 10k personal best, to come in 71st. Close behind was junior Riley DeMeulenaere, who turned in one of the top showings of his collegiate career to place 78th at 32:33.8.
The freshman trio of Stephen Pipilas, Akhil Ghosh and Nick Chudzik occupied the final three scoring spots for the Rambler men. Pipilas came through in 32:57.9 to finish 99th, with Ghosh close behind in 102nd at 32:58.9. Chudzik placed 107th, crossing the finish line 33:04.2.
"This was the best meet our men put together this season," Loyola assistant coach Mircea Bogdan commented. "We moved up a spot from our finish in each of the last two seasons. We had a good strategy and the guys delivered an awesome race. This was a team effort, as our spread from first through fifth was very tight. We also had three freshmen score, which is very positive. I am very proud of the way they raced. This result was much closer to what this team is capable of doing. With everyone returning next year, it gives us a lot of hope. I can't wait for the 2019 season and the guys all feel the same way."
All eyes will now focus on Brewis as she awaits her postseason fate. Brewis will hope to receive an at-large berth to the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships, set for Saturday, November 17 in Madison, Wis. The full field for the national meet will be announced tomorrow at 4 p.m. (CT) on NCAA.com.
MISSOURI STATE - The Missouri State women's cross country team finished in 22nd place (609 points), marking three top-150 finishes, at the 2018 NCAA Midwest Regional Friday morning.
The six-kilometer meet was held at the Newman Golf Course in Peoria, Ill. The Bears moved up four spots as a team in the final kilometer and shaved off 33 points in the process.
Sophomore Grace Breiten paced the Bears to finish in 46th place overall out of 232 runners. Breiten's 21:32.4 6K is the 10th fastest in school history.
Paityn Howat and Erica Wollmering both finish in the top-150 for the Bears. Howat recorded a 22:19.2 6K time, while Wollmering moved up eight sports in the final 1,000 meters to finish in 127th place with a 22:26.5 time.
Rounding out the Bears scoring line up are Edna Dar and Jordyn Capra, finishing 153rd and 166th respectively. Dar ran a 22:43.0, while Capra marked a 22:18.1 6K.
The Bears wrap up the cross country season and will switch focus to indoor track and field season.
UNI - UNI men's cross country finished 19th and the women's team finished 23rd at the NCAA Midwest Regional at the Newman Golf Course in Peoria.
The Panther men were led by Drake Henrichs who finished 78th with a time of 32:33.8 on the 10k course. Wal Khat finished 80th with a time of 32:34.1. CJ May finished at 115th with a time of 33:11.1, Ben Ahlrichs finished with a time of 33:28.7 for 135th place. Alex Jackson finished in 141st with a time of 33:43.0 to close out the scoring for UNI.
The Panther men finished with a combined time of 33:06.1.
The UNI women were led by McKayla Cole who finished 86th with a time of 21:58.5 on the 6K course. Gabby Champion was second for the Panthers with a time of 22:04.4 and 98th overall. Tess Roorda finished 122nd with a time of 22:23.3. Gabby Skopec was 139th with a time of 22:32.9 and Lyndsie Schinkel finished 165th with a time of 22:57.0 to close the scoring.
The team had an average time of 22:23.2.
The meet concludes the cross country season for UNI. There isn't much of a break for UNI as the Panthers begin the indoor track season on Dec. 8 at the Jimmy Grant Invite in Iowa City.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS - The Southern Illinois cross country teams competed Friday in the 2018 NCAA Midwest Regional Championship in Peoria, Ill.
As a team, the men placed 22nd out of 31, while the women placed 30th out of 35.
The meet was ran at the Newman Golf Course, which marked the third time that Southern has ran the course in five weeks and is generally considered a fast course.
The top finisher for the Saluki men was Josh Maier who placed 45th in a field of 208 runners. He clocked in a 10K time of 32:04.8.
Redshirt junior Cain Hassim placed 81st with a time of 32:35.4. Jacob DeWitt finished in a time of 33:25.8 to place 132nd, while Theo Hassim ran 34:22.0 to finish 163rd. Michael Church rounded out the lineup placing 166th.
The Saluki women were led by Olivia Murphy, who placed 110th with a time of 22:14.6. The redshirt sophomore was one of five running at the regional meet for the first time.
Redshirt junior Megan Krolak finished in 151st place with a 6K time of 22:40.1. Kayla Schiera was the next finisher for the Salukis, as she placed 183rd with a time of 23:17.1. Sydney Matusik placed 201st with a personal-best 6K time of 23:45.4. Grace McDurmon completed the roster for SIU as she came in 207th.
A total of 38 individual runners are selected to compete at nationals following team qualifications. The top-four finishers at each regional from non-qualifying teams receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, as long as they finished in the top 25 at the regional meet. Two at-large bids for remaining runners in a national pool of top-25 regional finishers also will be selected.
VALPARAISO - After lowering his own record in the 8K at the Missouri Valley Conference Championship last weekend, redshirt junior Alexander Bruno (Bloomington, Ill. / University) set another school record — this time in the 10K — at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Friday.
Bruno capped off a remarkable fall with another tremendous performance in Terre Haute, recording a 31:54.4 that put him in the Top 40. As was the case with his record-breaking 8K performance at the Greater Louisville Classic back in September, Saturday’s time eclipsed a 17-year old record, both previously held by Aaron Crague (31:56.4 on Nov. 10, 2001 at NCAA Regional).
After missing the first half of the season, redshirt junior Jack Mader (Granger, Ind./Penn) responded by putting together three solid performances to close out the year. He was the second Valpo runner to cross the finish, getting the job done in 33:01.8.
Sophomore Dominic Paoletti (Monroe, Mich./Monroe St. Mary) also progressed significantly throughout the season. He finished just over 20 seconds after Mader, stopping the clock at 33:23.6.
Junior Victor Fortin (East Peoria, Ill./Peoria Notre Dame) finished the season strong as well, rounding out the top four runners for Valpo. Fortin finished in 34:03.4.
In the women’s race, junior Katherine Germann (Cincinnati, Ohio/Finneytown) wrapped up a fantastic season of her own, completing the 6K circuit in 22:44.8, just a few seconds behind her 22:32.7 finish at the Bradley Pink Classic back in October, which put her at sixth in program history in the event.
For the fourth consecutive meet, sophomore Sarah Caesar (Fox River Grove, Ill./Cary-Grove) finished second on the team, doing so in 24:26.6 on Friday.
Freshman Maranda Donahue and junior Taylor Justison (Chatham, Ill./Glenwood) (Delton, Mich./Delton-Kellogg) finished right next to each other, placing third and fourth for Valpo, stopping the clock in 25:31.8 and 25:39.9, respectively.