Missouri Cross Country to Host Meet Friday
9/7/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Sept. 7, 1999
Missouri to Host First Meet of the Year
The University of Missouri men's and women's cross country team will kick off their 1999 season this Friday (Sept. 10) by hosting the Missouri/Evian Natural Spring Water Cross Country Challenge at A.L. Gustin Golf Course. The meet will feature races in three different divisions: high school, college and open.
Action begins at 2:00 p.m. in the high school divisions with the MU women running at 5:00 p.m. with the MU men scheduled to follow at 5:30 p.m. The open race is slated for 6:00 p.m. and is open to all interested runners. This will be the first time the Tigers will be in action this year. They will be going up against Illinois, Lincoln University, the University of Missouri-Rolla and middle distance powerhouse Loyola-Chicago.
Looking to Repeat in 1999
1998 was a very good year! The men's and women's cross country teams had their finest season in Missouri history. Both teams finished third at the Big 12 Championships. The women were automatic qualifiers with their second-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional. In their fourth consecutive appearance at the national championships, the women finished 21st.
The men used a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional to gain an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships. Their participation marked the first time since 1977 that the Missouri men's cross country team appeared at the championships. Their 27th-place finish marked the return of MU men's cross country to the national scene.
Head coach Jeff Pigg feels his teams are very deep and filled with experienced veterans that can help Missouri repeat their NCAA appearances. Many of the runners spent the summer in Columbia training and Pigg fells his teams are in the best shape at this point in the season.
Both teams are now healthy and looking for more great things in 1999. Topiing last season's teams are within reach for these fine athletes. The depth and leadership are tremendous on this years squads. It is going to be a fun group to watch with the capabilities of doing things that have never been done at Missouri. "It's A Great Time To Be A Tiger!!"
Women's Outlook
Three Tiger women earned both All-Big 12 and All-Region V honors in 1998 and will again be looked upon to lead Mizzou in 1999. Junior Katie Meyer and sophomores Ann Marie Brooks and Kim Moore will be looked to for both leadership and solid running performances all season.
Along with these three women juniors Justa Dahl, who provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 10,000m, and four-time All-Big 12 honoree Sunny Gilbert will again be asked to step up big as Missouri looks to regain its NCAA Region V title from the three previous seasons (1995, 1996, 1997).
These five women were the Tigers strength throughout the 1998 campaign, however there are several other Tigers ready to challenge the top five. Senior Anna Gullingsrud had a great year of training and looks to return to her winning ways from 1997. Gullingsrud sat out last season after transferring from Minnesota.
Junior All-Conference performer Ashley Wysong successfully recovered from her broken leg to earn All-American honors in the 800m during the 1999 Indoor and Outdoor seasons. In 1997, Wysong ran in the Tigers top-five throughout the season.
Also look for redshirt freshman Ashley McLeod and Katie Sekinger to contribute this year. McLeod earned All-Big 12 honors in track and Sekinger now has a year of college under her belt to pull from during the season.
Freshman Amy Chipman, Kerry Hills and Amy Semith to impact Missouri from the first gun. Chipman was the 1998 Missouri 4A state cross country champion and finished 12th at the 1998 Footlocker Midwest Regional. The freshman also claimed the 3200m state title during her senior campaign at Blue Spring High School. Hills is a versatile athlete who will help MU in several areas. She has broken over 10 Moberly Senior High School records ranging from the 100m High Hurdles to the distance events. Semith is the Missouri 3A state champion in cross country.
These women are ready to roar. Get ready for a great season of Tiger cross country!
