CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Reed Fischer (Minnetonka, Minn.) etched his name into the Missouri Valley Conference and Drake University history books by winning the MVC Cross Country Championship on Saturday, Oct. 29, in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Fischer held off the talented field to win the 8-kilometer race in a course-record time of 24:31.8.
 
Fischer, a senior who finished as the MVC runner-up a season ago, held off Bradley's Michael Ward by more than seven seconds to win his first MVC title.
 
"I did a couple of test surges early to see how the field would respond at 4k and 5k knowing that there were some big finishers in the field," Fischer said of his title-winning strategy. "Ward took the lead at 5k and I just sat back to prepare for a final surge at about the 7k mark. I knew it was flat after that and that I needed to build up a big enough gap to hold off his kick. I have to give credit to Coach [Dan] Hostager for that strategy."
 
With the win, Fischer became the 13^th Bulldog to win the men's championship and the first since his former teammate Brogan Austin did so in 2011. In total Bulldog has won the MVC Championship 16 times in the league's history.
 
"It's great to be part of such an elite group of MVC Champions at Drake and to leave a mark on this program and its history," Fischer said. "Brogan Austin was the last to do it and he was here cheering me on and giving me some great advice. I was second last year and have had a few near misses on the track, so it was good to have a finish in my favor."
 
Behind Fischer, the Drake men's team finished seventh with 155 points while Bradley took the team title with five top-10 finishes. Freshman Kyle Brandt (Maple Grove, Minn.) was 35^th in his first MVC meet in 26:38.7 followed by junior Chris Kaminski (New Lenox, Ill.) in 40^th in 26:49.0. Brandt was one of four freshmen on the men's team competing in their first MVC Championship.
 
Drake's women's team finished ninth with a lineup comprised of one junior, three sophomores and four freshmen. The lone junior, Bailee Cofer (Overland Park, Kan.) led the Bulldogs again with a 28^th place finish in 18:36.8 on the women's 8k course. Freshman Morgan Garcia (Marion, Iowa) was 48^th in 19:24.3 in her first MVC race.  
 
UNI won the women's team title on its home course with 52 points.
 
"While we didn't get the team results we were looking for, the efforts were there across the board and it will pay dividends for our upcoming NCAA Regional Championships as well as the track season," said Drake head coach Dan Hostager. "Of our 16 student-athletes competing today, one two were seniors and many were running in their first MVC Championship. They gained some valuable experience as a group and have the work ethic to do some really amazing things in the future."
 
The Bulldogs return to action in two weeks at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship in Iowa City, Iowa, on Nov. 11 where Fischer and the Bulldogs will aim to earn a spot in the NCAA Championship field.
 
"Reed has put in a lot of work to get to this point, but there's certainly more things for him to accomplish this fall," Hostager said. "All of his training this year has been geared for the opportunity to qualify for NCAAs."
 
 
MVC Championship
Oct. 29, 2016 – Cedar Falls, Iowa – Pheasant Ridge Golf Course
 
Men's Team Results
1. Bradley, 24
2. Wichita State, 82
3. Indiana State, 84
4. Illinois State, 108
5. Loyola, 131
6. Northern Iowa, 132
7. Drake, 155
8. Southern Illinois, 207
9. Evansville, 280
 
Drake Individual Men's Results
8k – 69 runners
1. Reed Fischer, 24:31.8
35. Kyle Brandt, 26:38.7
40. Chris Kaminski, 26:49.0
41. Matt Cozine, 26:50.3
42. Josh Yeager, 26:51.2
51. Kyle Cass, 27:15.5
57. George Webb, 27:54.6
64. Xavier Lechleitner, 29:11.4
 
 
Women's Team Results
1. Northern Iowa, 52
2. Bradley, 64
3. Wichita State, 82
4. Indiana State, 86
5. Illinois State, 99
6. Loyola, 167
7. Southern Illinois, 198
8. Missouri State, 223
9. Drake, 238
10. Evansville, 251
 
Drake Individual Women's Results
5k – 80 runners
28. Bailee Cofer, 18:36.8
48. Morgan Garcia, 19:24.3
54. Meghan Kearney, 19:33.5
57. Olivia Rogers, 19:39.4
60. Paige Nicholson, 19:51.0
69. Mykaela Cole, 20:20.0
72. Theresa McAlister, 20:35.9
75. Kayla Giuliano, 20:59.5