University of Missouri
Bradley 'Pink' Classic
Bradley Pink Classic kicks off two-meet weekend
10/17/2015 1:48:00 AM | Cross Country
PEORIA, Ill. – A Mizzou Cross Country contingent got the first taste of this weekend's competition on Friday, taking on the Bradley Pink Classic in Peoria, Ill. The remainder of the squad will be in action Saturday morning at the Pre-National Invitational in Louisville, Ky. Events at E.P. Tom Sawyer Park will begin at 9:30 a.m. ET with the men's seeded 8k, followed by the women's seeded 6k at 10:15 a.m. ET.
"The Bradley crew competed hard today," Head Coach Marc Burns said. "We had multiple personal bests, and the course is accurate so that is a good sign. I felt like both groups got out well and raced tough throughout the entire race. We were looking for good, strong, sustained efforts, and we got them today. Now it is time for our Pre-National crew to get after it tomorrow!"
The men were the first to take to the line in Peoria, with junior Will Crocker leading the charge. The mid-distance specialist crossed 34th in the field with his second consecutive PR of the season – 25:20.70. Junior Drew White was next across the line with the team's second PR, crossing in 54th overall (25:02).
In fact, five of the eight Tiger finishers earned new top marks for the 8k cross country course, including freshman Thomas George (25:32), sophomore Brian Hernan (25:34), and freshman Patrick Kearns (25:34).
Freshman Hannah Thomas was back leading the charge for the Tigers, after she crossed first for the women during the open race at the Notre Dame Invitational two weeks ago. She dropped nearly a minute in only her second 6k on the cross country course, placing 75th in 21:55.
Two more freshmen rounded out the top three for the Tigers, with Emmie Hahn crossing in 97th for her first ever 6k (22:07), and Elly DeTurris earning a new PR, crossing in 22:22. Junior Kayla Friesen was fourth across the line, earning another PR for the black and gold with a 22:28 finish, and sophomore Bianca Mello rounded out the top five, hitting 22:42 for her first 6k.
MEN'S RESULTS
34. Will Crocker, 24:47 // 54. Drew White, 25:02 // 64. Ollie Lockley, 25:06 // 106. Thomas George, 25:32 // 108. Brian Hernan, 25:34 // 109. Patrick Kearns, 25:34 // 131. Chandler Dye, 25:52 // 182. Tim Johnson, 26:32
WOMEN'S RESULTS
75. Hannah Thomas, 21:55 // 97. Emmie Hahn, 22:07 // 130. Elly DeTurris, 22:22 // 141. Kayla Friesen, 22:28 // 167. Bianca Mello, 22:42 // 207. Bailey Hession, 23:15
PRE-NATS PREVIEW
Meet Home
The top seven men and women will face a loaded field during Saturday's NCAA Pre-National Invitational at E.P Tom Sawyer Park in Louisville, Ky. There, the teams will get a preview of the NCAA Championship course, while also facing off with some of the top teams in the country. Events will begin at 9:30 am ET with the men's 8k Red Race, followed by the women's 6k Red Race at 10:15 am ET.
The Men's Field
The Tiger men will kick things off Saturday morning, joining a 40-team field which boasts 11 of the top-ranked teams in the current national rankings, including current national leader Colorado, Oregon (No. 3), Georgetown (No. 10), Arkansas (No. 13-t), UTEP (No. 13-t), Louisville (No. 17), California (No. 22), Colorado State (No. 23), Southern Utah (No. 25), Air Force (No. 29), and Texas (No. 30). Four other SEC teams will also be in attendance - Kentucky, Arkansas, Florida, and Georgia - giving the Tigers a bit of a sneak-peek into who they will face at the conference championship meet in two weeks.
Included in the line-up for the Tigers is junior Jordan Cook, who has led the squad in two of his three meets this season, pacing through for second in the field at the Forest Park XC Festival and hitting a new 8k PR at the Texas A&M Invitational (24:11.0), where he was 14th. Crossing by his side for both of those competitions was sophomore Marc Dubrick, who is also featured on the travel roster for Louisville.
Junior Dan Roe, who stepped up to take the reins during the Notre Dame Invitational two weeks ago, will also suit up on Saturday for his third meet of the season. Rounding out the Tigers' roster is sophomore Sheldon Keence, junior Ian McGinn, junior Luca Russo, and sophomore Evan Schulte.
The Women's Field
The Mizzou women are also set to take on a premier field on Saturday, with eight of the top-ranked teams in the country scheduled to make appearances - Colorado (No. 2), Oregon (No. 4), Michigan (No. 5), Georgetown (No. 7), Stanford (No. 9), Villanova (No. 26), Texas (No. 27), and Cornell (No. 29). Fellow-SEC competitors Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, and Mississippi State will join them in the field.
This will be the second major test of the season for the young women's team, who also took on a nationally-ranked field two weeks ago at the Notre Dame Invitational. The women return this weekend to take on yet another stacked field, with sophomore Karissa Schweizer back at the top of the line-up after taking 18th at Notre Dame with a 5k PR of 16:59.30. Joining her on the line will be junior Teylar Adelsberger, freshman Kelli Jackson, and sophomore Jamie Kempfer, all of whom have been consistent top five finishers for the Tigers this season.
Rounding out Saturday's roster will be sophomore Ellyn Atkinson, senior Sam Garrett, and junior Nicole Mello
Players Mentioned
