Sept. 6, 2003
COLUMBIA, Mo. (A.L. Gustin Golf Course) - The University of Missouri men's and women's cross country teams both took first at the 11th annual Missouri Cross Country Challenge on Saturday held at A.L. Gustin Golf Course on the university campus. The Tiger men and women both won over border rival Illinois. On the women's side, Mizzou took the three top spots, and on the men's side, Mizzou finished all five scorers in the top eight.
The lady Tigers entered today's meet ranked No. 17 in the nation in the U.S. Cross Country Coaches Poll and No. 1 in the Midwest region. Mizzou won over border rival Illinois 18 to 47 in the 5k and placed all five scorers in the top seven. The rest of the field comprised of Southern Illinois finishing third, Southeast Missouri State finishing fourth, and Bradley placing fifth.
Taking the women's individual title was lady Tiger sophomore Amanda Bales (Bettendorf, Iowa). Bales (17:41.66), who placed second in last year's race, took first for the second time in her collegiate career. Bales' other win came at last year's Lakefront Invitational in Chicago. Juniors Jill Petersen (O'Fallon, Mo.) and Serena Ramsey (Waukesha, Wis.) finished right behind Bales in second and third, respectively.
"I think we ran a real good race," said Rebecca Wilmes, assistant cross country coach. "I was coming in a little scared that we might not finish as good as we did because I held Valerie Lauver (Allen, Texas) and Katerine Bonugli (St. Charles, Mo.) from the race."
Sophomore Lauver and senior Bonugli were both named to the All-Region team last year for their performances that helped Mizzou win the NCAA Midwest Championship.
"I didn't race them because they were hurt or anything bad," Wilmes said. "I wanted to give some of our veterans and newcomers a chance to better themselves for future events."
Redshirt freshman Ashley Patten (Clarkston, Mich.) and true freshman Kate Bundy (Ballwin, Mo.) both had top ten performances as well. Rounding out the Tigers dominating performance freshman Allison Werner (Danville, Iowa) finishing in 12th place, senior Sonya Yamnitz (Hallsville, Mo.) finishing in 19th place, freshman Katy Bundy (Ballwin, Mo.) placing in 25th, junior Lesley Smith (Coralville, Iowa) in 27th place, and junior Erin Hagen (Mexico, Mo.) finishing in 35th.
The Tiger men, ranked as the No. 6 team in region, also won their home meet this morning after finishing above Illinois who came into the meet ranked No. 4 in the Midwest Region. Missouri's five scorers finished in the top eight and yielded a 22 to 33 victory over the Illini in the 8k race. Southeast Missouri State and Bradley finished third and fourth, respectively.
Mizzou was led by junior Mark Munzlinger (Hannibal, Mo.) and his second place finish (25:31.76). Munzlinger finished behind the race winner, Jason Bill of Illinois. The Tigers finished one, two, and three behind Munzlinger for third, fourth, and fifth place and was the driving force behind the Mizzou victory. Senior Ryan Hampton (Liberty, Mo.), sophomore Tim Ross (Alto, Mich.), and sophomore Matt Noonan (Baldwin City, Kan.) all finished within eight seconds of the Tiger leader.
"Illinois looked to be leading the race through the first 5,000 meters," said Jared Wilmes, head cross country coach. "We really turned it on in the final 2,000 meters it appeared. Mark Munzlinger and the guys really stepped it up down the homestretch. It's a good sign for us and a good thing to build on."
Junior Josh Davis (Liberty, Mo.) topped off the Tiger scoring with an eighth place finish. Junior David Mertens (Ballwin, Mo.) finished 11th, sophomore Chase Hall (Tulsa, Okla.) placed 12th, sophomore Rem Moll (Tulsa, Okla.) came in 14th, freshman Colten Green (Roach, Mo.) finished in 16th place, and middle distance runner junior Andrew Norton finished in 17th in the 32 runner field to complete the men's successful day.
Next for the Missouri Cross Country teams is a trip to Peoria, Ill., to compete in the Bradley Open on this coming Friday, September 12th. For complete results of today's races, open to high school, to collegiate, visit our website www.mutigers.com.