Oct. 31, 2000

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Coming off a third-place showing at the Big 12 Conference Championships, the University of Missouri women's cross country team is ranked 19th in this week's FinishLynx National Coaches Poll. This is the Tigers' second national ranking of the 2000 season. Missouri was ranked 20th in the Sept. 5, poll.

At the Big 12 meet held in Boulder, Colo., the MU women scored 100 points to beat then 21st-ranked Texas A&M by 14 points. Mizzou got season-high performances from sophomore Kerry Hils and Ann Marie Brooks, who finished 10th and 11th respectively. Hils and Brooks have led the women all season. Each has been named Big 12 Runner of the Week this season, with Hils taking the honor for the week of Sept. 18, and Brooks for the week of Sept. 25.

The Missouri men received seven votes in this week's poll, to rank them 28th nationally. The men have been paced all season by the senior tandem of Nick Smith and Adam MacDowell. The pair paced the men to a third-place finish at the conference championships with Smith finishing 12th and MacDowell placing 25th. MacDowell joined Hils as Big 12 Runner of the Week for the week of Sept. 25.

The Tigers take this week off before heading to Waterloo, Iowa, for the NCAA Midwest Regional. The Regional is scheduled for Nov. 11 and is hosted by the University of Northern Iowa.