NEW ORLEANS, La. - After a second place finish at the Bradley Classic Friday, the Bradley women's cross country team moved up one spot to No. 11 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Midwest Regional poll. The Braves leap-frogged Illinois State and are now the second-highest ranked team in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Led by redshirt-freshman Nicole Benson (Peoria, Ill./Limestone H.S.), the Braves finished with four runners in the top-25 at the Bradley Classic. Benson earned her fourth top-10 finish of the season by placing seventh with a time of 21:53. Junior Mary Goldkamp (Florissant, Mo./McCluer North H.S.) was just four seconds behind Benson in ninth place, followed by senior Katie Nowak (Avon Lake, Ohio/Avon Lake H.S.) in 12th place with a time of 22:08. Freshman Emily Gustafson (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria H.S.) crossed the finish line 21 seconds behind Nowak for 23rd place.

Benson, Goldkamp and Gustafson each set personal best 6K times Friday. Not to be outdone, senior Amanda Switzer (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem H.S.) completed Bradley's scoring by edging her 6K personal best by one second. Switzer clocked a time of 23:05, good for 46th place.

Wichita State remains the conference's top-ranked team in eighth, followed by Bradley in 11th and Illinois State in 12th. Missouri State moved up one spot to 13th, while Southern Illinois again rounded out the top-15.

The Braves will host the 2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Oct. 31 at Newman Golf Course.