The Southern women won in dominating fashion and behind individual champion Kimi Shank and the Lions finished 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th place today for a MIAA record team total of 18 points, one place off of a perfect score. It is the first time since 1991 that a women's team has won four-straight titles. Southeast Missouri was the last MIAA team to accomplish that feat.

MSSU defeated second place Truman (57) by nearly 40 points, while Pittsburg State, Northwest Missouri and Fort Hays round out the top five. Central Missouri was sixth, while Nebraska-Omaha, Emporia State and Southwest Baptist round out the team standings.

Shank won her second-straight MIAA Championship as the senior finished the 6k course in a time of 21:01.07. Shank was the runner-up as a sophomore in 2007. Ashley Siler placed second with a time of 21:19.57, while Ashley Bunch (21:47.07) was fourth and Courtney Waltbillig (22:00.26) was fifth. Marlee Tegenkamp was sixth and was the MIAA Freshman of the Year, while Silvia Pineda was seventh.

Dora Eastin placed 47th, while Katie Schmidt was 51st. Ali Benkert was 57th and Victoria Kline was 78th.

The Southern men defeated second place Pittsburg State by six points (47-53), while Southwest Baptist, Central Missouri and Emporia State finished 3rd, 4th and 5th. Northwest Missouri, Fort Hays and Truman State round out the team standings.

Brennan Benkert placed third to pace the Lions as he completed the 8k course in a time of 24:52.81. Jarkko Jarvenpaa was ninth (25:26.47) while Josh Mathis (25:33.15) and Aki Nummela (25:40.49) were 10th and 11th, respectively. Freshman Nick Niggeman placed 14th with a time of 25:46.45.

Sam Pogue was 37th, while Jake Crocker and Derek Wright placed 68th and 70th, respectively.

Southwest Baptist's Michael Pierce was the men's individual champion, while Central Missouri freshman Laban Sialo, who placed second, was the Freshman of the Year.

Both the men's and women's squads will now have a week off before heading to Abilene, Texas to compete in the 2009 NCAA Division II South Central Regional Meet. The women will come into the meet as the top team in the region, and the men should vault past Central Missouri for the top spot, as well.