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Runners
working on closing 'pack' gap Staff Writer
Competing
against two Division I schools is an expected criteria for the Missouri
Southern s men s cross country team. The
men s cross country team traveled to Fayetteville, Ark., to compete
against the University of Arkansas and the University of Tulsa on Sept.7
in a 4.1-mile race. The Lions performed well, with their top five
runners being in the top 19 of the race and with a pack time of 54
seconds. A pack time is the amount of time between the team s
top and bottom runners. The team s goal is to have a pack time
of 35 seconds, which it is working on to close the gap. We
need to stay together and close the gap, said Tom Rutledge, head
coach. They will gradually learn to not be left behind. Some
definite factors contributing to the successful race included the
display of leadership shown by upperclassmen. Since the upperclassmen
were familiar with the course, they made it easier for the newcomers to
adapt. Rutledge expects his runners to show experience to help mold the
others. The
upperclassmen are trained to constantly show experience and
leadership, he said. Running
with confidence helped set the tone for the team. It has trained hard
and knew it needed to start and finish well in order to improve for the
season. The
first meet helped with the teams ability to know what things it
wanted to work on and how attainable its goals are. This
race always helps with knowing where we need to be, and each race is
beneficial, said Larry Boswell, senior criminal justice major and the
team s top finisher in the race. We had good competition today to
help us with that. With
one race conquered, the coach and team are highly anticipating their
season. Their goals remain the same and will continue to train hard.
With two runners returning, the team is confident the season will only
continue to strengthen. The
men s team competes again on Saturday, Sept. 21 for the Sports World
Missouri Southern Stampede. |