Oct. 22, 2003
Truman Hosts the 2003 MIAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday
The Kirksville Country Club will be the site of the 2003 MIAA Cross Country Championships, taking place this Saturday morning. The women's 6,000-meter race will begin at 10:30 a.m., followed by the men's 8,000-meter competition at 11:30 a.m.
On the women's side, Pittsburg State is the two-time defending champion and the preseason favorite. However, in the latest regional ranking, Pittsburg State is just fifth overall and fourth among MIAA schools. Missouri Southern is first in the region, Central Missouri is third and Truman is fourth. Other conference schools ranked are Southwest Baptist in sixth, Missouri-Rolla in eighth and Northwest Missouri in ninth.
Individually, some of the top runners include last year's runnerup, Carissa VanGundy of Pittsburg State, Jen Noelken of Missouri Southern, Kristin Anderson of Central Missouri, Dani Rawlings of Truman, Kate Hamera of Missouri-Rolla, Karen Sancken of Southwest Baptist and Megan Haight from Emporia State.
On the men's side, Missouri Southern is the defending champion while Truman enters the meet as the highest ranked team in the ranking. In the latest regional poll, Truman is second, followed by Missouri Southern in third, Central Missouri in fourth, Northwest Missouri in fifth, Emporia State in sixth and Missouri-Rolla in ninth.
Individually, the top returning runner is Truman's Alan Heincker, who finished second a year ago. Other names to watch for include Missouri Southern's Magnus Holmstrom, Central Missouri's Jarrod Wall, Emporia State's Andrew Bird, Missouri-Rolla's Charlie Hawkins and Southwest Baptist's T. Jay Sanderson.
The next meet following the MIAA Championships is the NCAA Division II South Central Regionals, held this year in Commerce, Texas on Nov. 8. The NCAA Division II Championships will be held on Nov. 22 in Raleigh, N.C.