Nov. 8, 2003

Bulldogs Men's Cross Country Advances To Fourth-Straight National Meet; Women's Team Finish Fourth At Regional Competition

The Truman men's cross country team clinched a spot in the NCAA Championship meet on Saturday with a second-place finish at the South Central regional in Commerce, Texas. The men's team will be going to nationals for the fourth straight-year, the most consecutive times in the history of the program. The Bulldog women finished their season with a strong fourth-place showing in Texas.

Two weeks after finishing second in the MIAA championship by just one point, the men's squad easily defeated every conference school at the regional meet, including conference champion Missouri Southern. The team recorded 69 points, finishing only behind champion Abilene Christian who had 26 points. Central Missouri and Missouri Southern were third and fourth, respectively, and also advanced to the national championships.

Senior Alan Heincker (Dittmer, Mo./Grandview) led the way again for Truman, finishing the 10,000-meter course in 30:38. He was third overall, less than 19 seconds behind the overall winner. Junior Andy Person (Wildwood, Mo./Laude) finished ninth with a mark of 31:21. Junior Ryan French (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Linn-Marr Marion), sophomore Eli Klimek (Platte County, Mo./Platte County) and sophomore Aaron Wells (Runnells, Iowa/Southeast Polk) all finished together in the top 20. French was 18th with a time of 32:21, Klimek was 19th just one second behind and Wells was 20th with a mark of 32:25.

Rounding out the team were freshmen Pete Schaefer (Fenton, Mo./SLUH) and Jason Simpson (Liberty, Mo./Liberty). Schaefer was 38th overall with a time of 33:23 and Simpson was 41st with a mark of 33:28.

The women's team improved on its fifth-place regional finish from the year before. The Bulldogs had 107 points, finishing behind Pittsburg State, Missouri Southern and Abilene Christian.

Junior Dani Rawlings (Fargo, N.D./Fargo South) led the team, finishing the 6,000-meter race in a time of 22:22, good for ninth-place overall. Senior Leah Zidon (Bondurant, Iowa/Bondurant-Farrar) finished 15th with a time of 23:02. Freshman Lauren White (Lee's Summit, Mo./Lee's Summit), sophomore Abbie Smith (Urbandale, Iowa/Dowling) and freshman Alana Walker (Masonville, Colo./Poudre) rounded out the team's scoring. White was 25th overall with a time of 23:26, Smith was 28th with a mark of 23:33 and Walker was 30th with a time of 23:37.

Rounding out the women's team were freshman Meagan Robertson (Dittmer, Mo./Northwest) and sophomore Sarah Armstrong (Metamora, Ill./Metamora). Robertson was 32nd with a time of 23:41 and Armstrong was 38th with a time of 23:57.

The national meet for the men's team will be held on Nov. 22 in Raleigh, N.C. Last season, the team finished 14th in the country and the two previous years, the team finished fourth (2001) and 10th (2000). The best ever national finish for Truman was third in both 1994 and 1995. The women's squad ends its 2003 season, a year in which a young squad improved the team's finishes in both the conference and regional races.

Women's Cross Country | Men's Cross Country | Truman Athletics