Sept. 29, 2007

Columbia, Mo. - On the heels of sophomore Dan Hedgecock (St. Louis, Mo.), the 2007 Missouri Cross Country team placed 10th with 270 points at the 22nd annual Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis, Minn. Hedgecock ran another good race for the Tigers, placing 28th out of 211 total runners with a time of 25:10. The women, behind Angela Potrykus (Evergreen, Colo.), also took 10th place with 309 points in the 6K race. With 257 total runners on the women's side, Potrykus was able to notch a 47th place finish with a time of 22:35, tying a personal record that she set last season at the Pre-Nationals meet.

Both the Tiger men and women finished third among the six Big 12 Conference schools on hand. The women finished behind fifth place Nebraska while Iowa State finished just ahead of Mizzou in ninth. The men finished behind Iowa State who took third and Oklahoma who edged the Tigers by just one point with 269.

With all the usual suspects running up front for Mizzou, the Tiger men had a strong showing. Finishing is 47th, junior Garret Jeffries (Clarkson Valley, Mo.) was the second Tiger to cross the finish line, finishing just 32 seconds behind Hedgecock at 25:42. Senior Billy Bell (Chesterfield, Mo.), the Missouri Cross Country Challenge champion, finished third among Tiger finishers in 55th place clocking in at 25:44.

After a strong showing at the Vanderbilt Commodore Classic, the Tiger freshman had another strong race at the Griak as three Tiger freshman rounded out the Tigers top-seven finishers. Kyle Rood (St. Peters, Mo.), who ran in his first collegiate race at Vanderbilt, placed 76th overall as he finished the 8K course in 25:10, a personal record. Redshirt freshman Larry Paul (Marthasville, Mo.) also set a personal record as he finished the race placing 95th. Paul ran the course in 25:42, topping his previous record by nearly 30 seconds. Freshman Dan Quigley (St. Louis, Mo.) had a strong showing in his first collegiate race crossing the finish line seventh among the Tigers, and 96th overall in a personal best time of 26:25.

Behind Potrykus, several Tiger women had career days as well. Coming off of a fifth place overall finish at the Commodore Classic, freshman Kinsey Farren (Dallas, Texas) finished just four seconds behind Potrykus in 51st with a time of 22:39. Seniors Kate Greer (Marshalltown, Iowa) and Kasey Kimball (Eureka, Mo.) finished third and fourth for the Tigers respectively with Greer clocking in at 22:44, good enough for 54th and Kimball placing 71st with a time of 23:13.

Jessica Armstrong (Dorr, Mich.) continued her impressive freshman campaign as well finishing 86th overall just 15 seconds behind Kimball in 23:28. Junior Trisa Nickoley (Tecumseh, Kan.) and sophomore Emily Baker (Wildwood, Mo.) rounded out the top-seven for Mizzou. Nickoley placed 95th overall while Baker finished right behind her in 96th.

The event featured 26 Division I schools, with 211 runners in the men's race and 257 runners in the women's race. The highly touted event also featured both Division II and Division III schools, as well as area high school, making it one of the top events in the nation this season.

With 10th place finishes for both teams, the Tigers look ready for the Pre-Nationals meet in Terre Haute, Ind. on Oct. 13. Stay tuned to www.mutigers.com for continued cross country coverage.