Oct. 25, 2003

Men's Cross Country claims fourth straight MIAA Championship
Southern women place second

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. -- Five Missouri Southern runners placed in the top 15 and the Lions captured their fourth straight Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association championship on Saturday at Kirksville Country Club.

Missouri Southern finished with a total of 47 points for a one-point win over runner-up and host Truman. In their run of four consecutive league crowns, Southern defeated Truman by a combined total of three points.

Senior Magnus Holmstrom (Inga, Finland) was fourth in the final individual standings with his time of 26 minutes, 10.17 seconds over the 8K course. Junior Paul Koehler (Sunset Hills, Mo.) was sixth in 26:16.64, followed by junior Craig Rhoads (West Plains, Mo.) in 10th with a time of 26:50.86.

Holmstrom, Koehler and Rhoads each earned All-MIAA accolades for their top-10 finishes. It marked the fourth consecutive all-conference honor for Holmstrom.

Sophomore Lucas Plocher (West Plains, Mo.) just missed the top 10, finishing in 12th with a time of 27:02.58. Freshman Brian Roe (West Plains, Mo.) was 15th in 27:05.26.

With Missouri Southern and Truman occupying the top two spots in the final team standings, Central Missouri was third with 87, followed by Northwest Missouri with 92 and Emporia State with 128. Pittsburg State (142), Missouri-Rolla (178) and Southwest Baptist (210) rounded out the field.

Other finishers for the Lions included freshman Dustin Miller (Carthage, Mo.) in 35th (27:55.67), senior Thomas Quaid (Limerick, Ireland) in 50th (28:39.72), and freshman Casey Carter (Carthage, Mo.) in 58th (29:23.04).

Missouri Southern's women's team collected its best finish since winning the league title in 1998, with a second place finish. Pittsburg State won the women's 6K race with a score of 50, followed by the Lions with 62.

The MSSU women also placed three runners in the top 10 for all-conference honors. Senior Jen Noelken (St. Charles, Mo.) was third in 22:28.35, followed by junior Ashley Caffey (Lebanon, Mo.) in fifth with a time of 22:51.36. Sophomore Megan Russell (Jefferson City, Mo.) placed 10th in 23:26.96.

Senior Rachel McGowan (Raytown, Mo.) was just outside the top 10, finishing 14th in 23:43.75. Jessica Deatrick (Lee's Summit, Mo.) placed 30th in 24:38.86, followed by Erin Click (West Plains, Mo.) in 34th with 24:53.74. Senior Alisha Adams (Oklahoma City, Okla.) was close on Click's heels with a time of 25:06.76. Sophomore Michelle Brenner (Coffeyville, Kan.) finished 41st (25:28.10) and freshman Kayla Shipman (Carthage, Mo.) was 54th (26:12.03).

Both Missouri Southern contingents will have two more weeks to prepare for the NCAA Division II South Central Regional, which will be held on Nov. 8 in Commerce, Texas. The top four men's teams and top two women's teams will qualify for the NCAA Division II Championships, to be held Nov. 22 in Raleigh, N.C. The top two male and female runners not on an advancing team will also make the national championships field.