MU hosted cross country challenge
Published Sept. 12, 2006
MU held the 13th Annual Missouri Cross Country Challenge at A.L. Gustin Golf Course on Saturday. The Tigers were competing against Wichita State and Hannibal-LaGrange, as well as a handful of runners unattached to teams.
Seniors Tim Ross and Amanda Bales, both past winners of the event, did not compete, and several of the other top men's and women's runners also sat out. Coach Jared Wilmes said that the runners sat out because the race did not count toward qualifying for the NCAA championships and that the move was made mostly to avoid potential injuries.
"Nothing here really counts," he said, adding that both Ross and Bales were healthy and could have run. "In some ways it could be called an exhibition. Technically it is, because it doesn't count, but it is part of the regular season."
The men, who ran eight kilometers, won their half of the meet with a score of 16 points, one point away from a perfect score of 15. Wichita State finished with 39 points and Hannibal-LaGrange with 85. MU took the top four spots, led by sophomore Garret Jeffries' time of 26:33.93. Sophomore Tim Cornell, junior Billy Bell and sophomore Michael Barrows finished second through fourth, respectively. Wichita State's Scott Reed rounded out the top five, and Hannibal-LaGrange's top runner came in 19th. All four top finishers' times were within 1.5 seconds.
"We were just going in a line," Jeffries said.
He said the foursome plans to run together in future meets and that it helps for them to run together for motivational purposes.
Sophomore Brian Graybill rounded out the team's top five with a seventh place finish. But his place counted as sixth in team scoring, as sixth place finisher and MU graduate Neville Miller was unattached.
Graybill said he was not disappointed that Reed broke up his team's chance at a perfect score.
"We all ran hard, and we're all pleased," he said.
In the women's race, a five-kilometer course, sophomore Ellen Ries was the highest placed runner from MU, checking in at 18:10.95. Her time put her in third place behind Wichita State duo Sarah Becker and Kimber Lemon. The Tigers finished with 31 points, five behind Wichita State's winning total of 26. Ries is one in a group of sophomores that coach Rebecca Wilmes is hoping will improve their times this year.
"Ellen was fantastic today," Wilmes said. "We intentionally ran shorthanded, and she really stepped it up."
Ries said she was also pleased with the result.
"I felt much more comfortable this year," she said. "I have a feeling of what's expected and what I'm supposed to do. The girls are all really excited about this season."
The men's team has next weekend off before traveling to Minneapolis for the Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 23. Jared Wilmes described this course as "hilly," which he said would be good preparation for a similar course in the Big 12 meet held at Kansas on Oct. 27. The women do not compete again until Sept. 29 when they enter the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend, Ind.