PEORIA, Ill. -- After a week off, the Bradley men's and women's cross country teams return to action Saturday morning at the 11th annual Greater Louisville Classic in Louisville, Ky.  In addition to facing a strong field which will feature some of the top teams in the region and nation, the Braves will get a glimpse at the course which will serve as site for the 2012 NCAA National Championship later this fall.

The day begins with the first of three men's 8K races at 8:30 a.m. (CDT) with the first of three women's 5K's slated to start at 9;15 a.m. at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park, which has served as site for five NCAA Southeast Regionals, two Big East Conference Championships and five NAIA National Championships.  The final race of the day begins at 11:30 a.m. (CDT) with Bradley having competitors in all six races Saturday.   

Both squads are coming off strong efforts at the Illinois Intercollegiate Championships in Normal, Ill., two weeks ago and look to build momentum with one month left before the Missouri Valley Conference Championships.

"We are excited to travel to Louisville and race on this year's NCAA Championship course," said Bradley head coach Marc Burns.  "Both teams will compete against some of the best teams in the country.  Our goal as a program is to be competing at the national level in the near future and this will help our kids see what it takes to make that happen.  I see us finishing in the middle of the pack between the nationally ranked teams and the rest of the field.  The course narrows within the first 400 meters so it will be important for us to get out a little faster than we typically do.  The conference course has a similar set up so it will be good experience for the MVC Championships."

Sophomore Sarah McMahon (Colfax, Wis./Colfax) and junior Cassie Lohmeier (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) highlighted the Illinois Intercollegiates for the women's team, which has climbed to 10th in the regional rankings after a third-place finish in Normal, Ill.  McMahon was fourth last time out, clocking the third-best 5K time in school history, while Lohmeier was sixth in the field with the fourth-fastest time in program history.

On the men's side, sophomore Chase Coffey (Hanna City, Ill./Farmington) continued to pace the Braves; turning in a career-best 8K time for the second consecutive week.  One of several BU runners to clock career-best times at the Illinois Intercollegiates, Coffey's time was more than 30 seconds better than his previous career-best effort. 

Following Saturday's action, Bradley will host the ninth annual Bradley Classic, Friday, Oct. 12 at Newman Golf Course.