The Bulldogs had an eventful weekend with every runner but one for the women running a personal best at the Bradley Classic. The squad has continued to improve consistently the entire season. For a young team, with eight freshmen contributing, consistent improvement is key.

"I am very proud of our team," junior Amanda Marwitz (Crystal Lake, Ill.) said. "Everyone comes to practice ready to run hard and push themselves in the workouts. Nearly every race we have improved and this is a direct reflection of our hard work."

Men's runner sophomore Conor Wells (Des Moines, Iowa) agreed with Marwitz.

"Last week's PR's are encouraging," Wells said. "This is the time of the season when all the hard work we put in early in the season and over the summer starts to pay off, and the PR's are evidence of that. They show we're moving in the right direction, and shows that we'll be able to drop even more time in the meets to come."

The men have shown themselves capable of competing on a high level against some of the best teams nationally. This past weekend four members of the Drake men's squad flew to Louisville, Ky. to compete in the NCAA Pre-Nationals meet.

The 8-kilometer race at Louisville's E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park serves as a preview of next month's NCAA Championships. The venue will stay the same and feature one of the deepest and most talented fields the Bulldogs have seen to date.

Junior Brogan Austin (Boone, Iowa) finished 15th at the meet in a time of 24:41.5. Austin is the defending MVC Cross Country Champion.

Both teams of Bulldogs are planning to taper before next Saturday.

"Tapering is when we cut back our training to rest and to be better prepared for a bigger race," Wells said.

The runners will bring down their weekly mileage in order to rest and have fresh legs for the race. Marwitz, who normally runs 50 miles a week or so, will cut her mileage to 35 miles or less throughout the coming week.

Overall both teams feel they've overcome obstacles to have successful seasons to this point.

"Even though we've had a couple of guys banged up," Wells said. "Just about everybody has been getting PR's and has been getting faster and stronger every week as the season has progressed."

Marwitz and her teammates are striving to reach the goals they set at the beginning of the season.

"As a team, to reach our goals at Conference and beyond, we need to continue to push ourselves in the workouts leading up to the race and we need to take care of our bodies by eating well and getting enough sleep. I also think believing in ourselves and trusting our training from the summer and season so far will be key to good races." Marwitz said.