Bradley’s men’s and women’s cross country teams lived up to their season-long expectations last Friday, winning their respective titles at the MVC Championships after getting picked to sweep them both before the race.
In Terre Haute, Indiana, the men’s team continued their dynasty by earning their sixth title since 2015, all under head coach Darren Gauson. This win also gave Gauson his sixth MVC Coach of the Year honors.
The four horsemen of the win were senior George Watson as well as graduate seniors Alec Danner, Matt Aho and Charlie Parrish. Watson put up a time of 24:32.3, which was good enough for runner-up in the meet and the highest individual placing by a Bradley men’s runner since 2019. Watson credits a unique running style as the cause.
“I call them dirty miles,” Watson said. “A massive volume of miles ran in a short amount of time but still not getting injured.”
Coming in just behind Watson in third was Danner with a time of 24:33.4, who was followed by Aho in seventh and Parrish in 11th. Freshman Caleb Lind finished 19th, rounding out a 42-point performance from the men.
This championship meant alot to the men’s team, as it is their first one since 2019. In the last two years, the group has fallen short of the same accomplishment by mere points.
“It was really important for us because we needed a bit of redemption,” Watson said. “We are still on the hunt after last year’s performance. It was fun to be out there with Alec and the team, fun to be winning and a part of it.”
In addition to the men’s victory, 2022 Female Cross Country Athlete of the Year Nicola Jansen led the women’s team to an equally strong finish. The sophomore ran nearly 30 seconds faster than the second place finisher on her way to the Braves’ first individual title since 2015.
“Success is not certain, [so] winning this proves to people about my hard work and my dedication,” Jansen said. “My racing style is to run hard from the start and not care what people think. Just run and show the hard work you do.”
The depth of the women’s team was key to such a historic performance at the championship this year, as senior Tyler Schwartz ran into third, Female Freshman of the Year Peyton Schieppe claimed fourth and junior Wilma Nielsen finished fifth.
With four of the top five finishers, the Braves put in an impressive 22 points, claiming Gauson his fourth women’s championship and marking the second time a women’s team has scored below 25 points in MVC history.
“We are a strong, young team that are all coming back next year, so the score might be even lower soon,” Jansen said. “We work as a team, practice together and it helped us during the race knowing we can stay with each other. A lot of teamwork contributed to that.”
Next up for Bradley is the NCAA Midwest Regionals, which could lead to a trip to the NCAA Championship if they turn in a similar performance in Stillwater. For Watson, he’s just excited to see his team compete.
“Both teams have a shot at going,” Watson said. “I want to watch us there even if it’s not to watch me.”
