Oct. 20, 2001

Women's Cross Country Takes Third at MIAA Meet

The Truman women's cross country team finished third on Saturday at the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association cross country championships in Emporia, Kan.

The Bulldog women finished with 69 points to secure third place in the meet, which was won by Pittsburg State (Kan.) with 32 points. Central Missouri State was second with 42 points.

Senior Beth Luebbering (St. Thomas, Mo./Helias) led all Bulldog finishers with an eighth-place showing for her third all-MIAA honor in four years. Luebbering completed the 6,000-meter course in 23:10.00. Luebbering was the lone Bulldog to earn all-conference accolades this year.

Just outside the top 10 was junior Jennifer Tesmer (Harrisonville, Mo.), whose 23:22 time was good enough for 11th place. Senior Emily Komiskey (Galena, Ill./Dubuque Wahlert) also collected a top 15-finish with a time of 23:35 that landed her in 13th.

Senior Jody Shanks (Liberty, Mo.) finished 17th in 23:43, while freshman Dani Rawlings (Fargo, N.D./Fargo South) logged a top-20 finish in her first ever MIAA event, placing 20th in 23:55. Sophomore Sonya Yamnitz (Hallsville, Mo./Helias) and junior Suzanne Schmidt (Omaha, Neb./Elkhorn) were 23rd and 24th, respectively with times of 24:04 and 24:05. Junior Alisha Smyth (Fairbanks, Alaska/Lathrop) came in 26th (24:09), followed by junior Cammie Ewing (Hannibal, Mo.) in 38th (25:07) and senior Amy Johnson (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs South) in 42nd (25:24).

The Bulldog women will get another crack at many of their MIAA foes on Nov. 3 when Missouri Southern hosts the NCAA Division II South Central Regional. The top two teams from the region will advance to the NCAA Division II Championships, which will be held on Nov. 17 in Slippery Rock, Pa.

FINAL TEAM SCORING--2001 MIAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Emporia, Kan. · Oct. 20, 2001
1. Pittsburg State	32
2. Central Missouri State	42
3. Truman	69
4. Missouri Southern	108
5. Southwest Baptist	156
6. Emporia State	181
7. Northwest Missouri	185
8. Missouri-Rolla	223