ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Drake cross country is prepared for another run at league crowns in both the men's and women's divisions this weekend at the 2024 MVC Cross Country Championships. The Bulldog men were slated fourth in the pre-championship poll, with one first-place vote, while the women earned fifth.
UNI will host the 2024 MVC Cross Country Championship in Cedar Falls, Iowa on November 1st, at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course. The women will race a 6K at 10:30 a.m. CT followed by the men's 8K race at 11:30 a.m. CT.
The Bulldog men returned to the field after claiming the 2023 MVC Cross Country Championship Team Title. Led by senior
Brogan Giffin after posting his personal best 8K time at the Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational earlier this season with a time of 24:09.0. Junior
Aidan Simon also leads the pack of Bulldogs with his best 8K time of 24:09.4, also posted at the Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational where he finished 49th in a field of 140.
For the women, sophomore
Breanna Burak leads the Bulldogs after placing her best 6K time at the Bradley Pink Classic at 20:59.8 for 23rd in the women's red race. Senior
Tyla Lumley also returns to the field with a personal best 6K time she set at the Bradley Pink Classic with a time of 20:30.3 for an 8th-place individual finish in the women's red race.
Bradley and Belmont have been predicted to take home the Missouri Valley Conference cross country championship titles in 2024 in a pre-championship vote by the head coaches. For the women, the Braves earned the favorite spot among the coaches with twelve first-place votes followed by a tie between Belmont and Indiana State at 40 points a team. For the men, the Bruins claimed the top spot with a strong seven first-place votes for 17 total points edging out Illinois State's two first-place votes and, Bradley and Drake's one first-place vote each.
2024 MVC Cross Country Pre-Championship Polls
| Women's |
Points |
Men's |
Points |
| 1.Bradley (12) |
12 |
1.Belmont (7) |
17 |
2.Belmont
Indiana State |
40 |
2. Illinois State (2) |
32 |
| 4. Illinois State |
51 |
3. Bradley (1) |
33 |
| 5. Drake |
54 |
4. Drake (1) |
35 |
| 6. UNI |
63 |
5. UIC |
55 |
| 7. Missouri State |
83 |
6. Indiana State |
69 |
| 8. UIC |
98 |
7. UNI |
78 |
| 9. SIU |
109 |
8. SIU |
95 |
| 10. Murray State |
112 |
9. Valparaiso |
98 |
11. Evansville
Valparaiso |
137 |
10. Evansville |
106 |
| |
|
11. Murray State |
108 |
