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Blue Demons to Compete Against Ranked Opponents at the Bradley Classic
CHICAGO The DePaul men’s and women’s cross country teams return to action on Friday at the Bradley Classic in Peoria, Illinois. The regionally ranked No. 14 men are slated to go up against 12 other teams from across the midwest. The women face 14 other collegiate institutions. For the first time in the program’s history, the Blue Demon men were recognized on the regional polls by the UTFCCCA. Having finished no higher than fourth all season, the team was placed No. 15 on the Midwest Regional rankings following a third place performance at the Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational. After a week away from completion, DePaul was moved up to No. 14. Going up against three other regionally ranked opponents, the Blue Demons defend their ranking in an 8K race. The field of competition includes No. 9 Illinois State, No. 10 Drake, Western Illinois, UIC, Missouri, UW-Green Bay, Iowa State, Saint Louis, UW-Milwaukee, Northern Iowa, and Bradley. Leading the way for DePaul is Matthew Graham. The freshman has been the Blue Demon’s top finisher in every race to date. His fastest time came at the Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational where he ran a 25:19 8K race (5:06/mile). The DePaul women’s cross country team faces an equally challenging field. Northern Iowa and Illinois State hold regional rankings of No. 14 and No. 15, respectively. The remainder of the competing schools include Indiana State, Western Illinois, UIC, Butler, Drake, UW-Green Bay, Iowa Sate, Saint Louis, UW-Milwaukee, Northern Illinois, and Bradley. Sophomore Mary Cate Quiett has paced the Blue Demons in all but one race of the season. Her best time to date was a 18:38 in a 5K race (6:00/mile), at the National Catholic Championships. For a full list of players’ times and finishes, please see the statistics page.
Action begins at 4:15 p.m. (CST) at the Newman Golf Course. The Bradley Classic marks the last race before the BIG EAST Conference Championships in Bronx, New York, on Oct. 31.
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