Women's Cross Country Ranked 11th in the Nation
10/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Oct. 22, 2002
The University of Missouri women's cross country is ranked 11th in the nation, according to the latest FinishLynx cross country poll. The ranking, the highest for the Tigers in nearly fifteen years, comes on the heels of a fifth place finish at the NCAA Pre-National Meet last Saturday in Terre Haute, Indiana. Missouri head cross country coach Jared Wilmes said, "We're incredibly excited about the ranking but we're more excited about the results at the Pre-Nationals. The ranking is just an indication on how well we did at the meet. There is a lot of excitement around the program and that is due to all of the hard work we have put in and the belief we have in each other."
Last weekend the Tigers were paced by freshmen Amanda Bales, who finished ninth, and Valerie Lauver , who finished 17th. Coach Wilmes added, "The good thing about this meet (NCAA Pre-Nationals Meet) is you know exactly where you're at because the best teams in the country are running against you." The Tiger women have won three meets this season and were ranked 20th prior to last weekend's meet. Assistant cross country coach Rebecca Wilmes said, "We're excited at the progress the kids have made and we're looking forward to what 's coming up. We are just focusing on our goals." The Tigers will race again Saturday November 2nd when they host the Big 12 Cross Country Championships.
