PEORIA, Ill. – Drake cross country was back in action at the Bradley Pink Classic in Peoria on Friday afternoon. The Bulldogs had a host of runner in attendance with some solid showings to bring back to Des Moines.
 
Drake runners were split among four sections on Friday including a White and Red race in both men's and women's division.
 
Aidan Simon came across the line in 25:58.03 to lead Drake in the men's White field. Gaven Corpin also posted a top 40 time in 26:26.42.
 
Other Bulldog men in the White section included Jed Wilson, who ran 26:56.27, and Vaughn Larson, who competed as an unattached runner and finished in 26:43.01.
 
Brenden Heitzig, who led the Drake effort their last time out, added another top five finish with a pace of 23:57.90 in the men's Red division. Aidan Palmer also snuck inside the top 20 with a time of 24:32.99.
 
Veteran Aziz Jdai took 35th in the Red race with a time of 24:47.46 while freshman John Moellers posted a time of 25:17.62. Other competitors in the men's Red field included Xander Kwa (25:42.73), Daghyn True (26:02.79), Carter Beasley (26:45.52), and Luke Smith (28:39.65).
 
Drake also had a handful of unattached contestants in the Red race including third-place winner Daniel Rotich, who posted a time of 23:54.04. Juan Trasobares also ran unattached in 24:27.03, good enough for 14th place. The remaining unattached runners were Lanse Larsen (26:13.04), Ewan Taylor (26:23.75), and Ryan Tobin (26:46.86).
 
"I thought our men brought great energy right from the gun," Drake head coach Sam Read said. "They were aggressive early, maybe a little too aggressive, but they executed that with a level of fearlessness we hadn't seen yet this season, and it paid off in the results. Brenden and Aidan set the tone up front with some great runs. Our guys behind them responded and saw the majority take time off their season bests. That's exactly what you want to see two weeks out from the conference meet."
 
First-year Bulldog Ashley Gaba led Drake in the women's White race with a mark of 24:25.68. Fellow freshmen Ellen Cook, Fabi Gipson, Gracie Federspiel, and Adeline Viergutz finished in 24:52.86, 25:12.64, 25:13.27, and 26:46.03, respectively.
 
Lastly, Breanna Burak had another standout race for the Bulldogs with a 12th-place finish in the women's Red field. Burak crossed the finish line in 20:58.91 to pace the Dogs.
 
Anastasia Kirillov again followed Burak across the line in 35th position with a time of 21:25.07.
 
Elsewhere, Kayce Martensen posted a time of 21:56.93 while Anika Mohrhauser finished in 22:34.00. The remainder of Drake's women's Red race runners included Sophia Agan (22:52.71), Ella Brown (23:12.67), Hannah Kilday (23:25.17), and Amilia Condon (23:45.00).
 
"We've been emphasizing consistency and confidence over the last few weeks, and I think that really showed today up today in our women's results," Read added. "Even though I don't think we felt our best, the group stayed engaged and executed their race from start to finish. That kind of effort when things don't come easily is a great sign of growth. I think Kayci had a strong day moving up as our third runner which gave a big boost to our team placing. Now it's time to freshen up, start feeling good, and get ready to make some noise when championship season hits."
 
Drake will now turn its attention to the MVC Championships on Oct. 31 in Evansville, Ind.