Bradley’s cross country teams compete against some of the best in the country, and the regular season finale at the Illini Open last Friday showcased the Braves’ impressive talent.
At the team’s last meet in Champaign, the Braves ran against the likes of Wisconsin, Illinois, Illinois State, Butler, Iowa and Chicago State, some of whom are competing for their spot in the NCAA’s Midwest Regional.
Bradley shined with a top-five finisher in the women’s 5K and a top 10 finisher in the men’s 8K. As a team, Bradley placed second on the men’s side and fourth on the women’s side.
For the women, freshman Anna Perry led the way, finishing with a time of 18:21.5 to place sixth overall. Heading into the race, any nerves that she may have had before running went away.
“Once the gun fired, [the nerves] really didn’t matter,” Perry said. “The middle of the race seemed to be more comfortable for me than other recent races. I was able to gain places in the middle of the race. The middle of the course loop had a very big hill that really had a strong effect on the race for all runners.”
As for the men, freshman Caden Simone ran hard enough to finish eighth against a tough field of competition.
“My goal was to follow Coach [Darren] Gauson’s plan of going out controlled and then finishing strong, which I successfully executed,” Simone said.
As the team heads into the MVC Championship after a successful race, both the men and women were picked atop the conference by the Valley as the expected champions. Simone may not be competing, but he is still excited to watch his team take on that challenge.
“Heading into the MVC, I am prepared to race if one of my teammates gets injured,” Simone said. “However, if I don’t race, I will be thrilled to cheer on my team as I watch us take the title as conference champions.”
Perry is ready to run and is excited to be a part of what she believes to be a conference championship team.
“Going into the MVC Championship, I anticipate that Bradley will win both men and women championships,” Perry said. “Both our teams are strong. I was a spectator at the 2021 MVC championship last year [but] this year it will be very exciting and inspirational to be a part of it as a Bradley Brave.”
