Nov. 22, 2003
Truman Men's Cross Country Finishes 17th At The NCAA Championships
The Truman men's cross country team concluded its season on Saturday with a 17th-place finish at the NCAA Championships, the fourth straight national meet the Bulldogs have competed in. The Bulldogs finished ahead of Missouri Southern and Central Missouri, the other two MIAA schools that qualified for the national championship, which was held in Cary, N.C.
Senior Alan Heincker (Dittmer, Mo./Grandview), the first Bulldog to run in four cross country national competitions, finished his career with a 30th-place finish. He completed the race in a time of 32:20. Junior Andy Person (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette), running in his second nationals, finished second on the team and 55th overall with a time of 33:08. Heincker and Person finished one-two on the Bulldogs' squad in every race the two of them competed in this season.
Junior Ryan French (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Linn-Marr) finished 65th overall with a mark of 33:29. Sophomores Eli Klimek (Platte City, Mo./Platte County) and Aaron Wells (Runnells, Iowa/Southeast Polk) also scored for the Bulldogs. Klimek was 115th with a time of 34:50 and Wells was 123rd with a time of 35:04.
Freshmen Pete Schaefer (Fenton, Mo./SLUH) and Jason Simpson (Liberty, Mo./Liberty) rounded out the team. Schaefer was 126th after crossing the finish line in 35:08 and Simpson was 132nd with a time of 35:25.
The Bulldogs set a school record this season by advancing to their fourth-straight NCAA championship. The squad had a very impressive showing at the South Central regional, finishing second behind Abilene Christian, the eventual NCAA runner-up. The team was also second at the MIAA championship, finishing just one point behind Missouri Southern. Other highlights from the year included winning the college division of the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational and finishing ahead of several NCAA Division I schools at the Notre Dame Invitational.