ST. LOUIS, Mo. - After strong performances at the SIU Edwardsville Border Wars Saturday, junior Andrew Wieser (Chesterfield, Mo./Parkway Central H.S.) and redshirt-freshman Nicole Benson (Peoria, Ill./Limestone H.S.) received Missouri Valley Conference cross country athlete of the week honors Tuesday.

Wieser paced the Braves in the men's 8K race, earning a 15th place finish in 26:44.37. The men's team finished third overall for the fourth straight time this season.

Benson repeated as the MVC women's cross country athlete of the week after winning her second meet of the season with a time of 17:30.91. She paced the field of 39 competitors in the 5K race and finished 16 seconds ahead of SIU Edwardsville's Kayla Brown. Benson's individual win helped the Braves claim their second team victory this season. This is the third time Benson has been named the Valley's cross country athlete of the week.

Wieser, Benson and the rest of the Braves will host the sixth annual Bradley Classic Friday, Oct. 16 at Newman Golf Course. This year's field includes 16 men's teams and 20 women's teams. The meet opens with the men's 8K race at 4:15 p.m., followed by the women's 6K at 5 p.m.

Bradley will also host the 2009 Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championships at Newman Golf Course on Saturday, Oct. 31.