Sept. 13, 2010

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Mizzou women's cross country team climbed the US Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Regional Poll this week after a strong performance at the Missouri Cross Country Challenge last weekend. Highlighted by five runners placing in the top eight and a defeat of Big 12 rival Kansas, the Tiger women now sit at sixth in the USTFCCCA Midwest Region, moving up two spots from their preseason ranking, as announced by the USTFCCCA on Monday (Sept. 13).

Mizzou ranks ahead of three Big 12 schools - Kansas, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma - and it the fourth-best Big 12 team in the region. Mizzou jumped both Oklahoma State and Kansas in this week's regional poll as those school ranked sixth and seventh, respectively, in last week's poll. The Tigers were eighth.

The USTFCCCA Midwest Region ranks the top 15 Division I cross country programs in the central United States. Notable schools in the region include Iowa State, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Kansas State and Illinois. Iowa State currently sits atop the Midwest Region.

The Tiger men currently rank 11th in the Midwest Region, but did not run their top two runners at the Missouri Cross Country Challenge. The men also ran their "B" teams at the season-opening SIU Early Bird. The USTFCCCA National Cross Country Top 25 will be announced tomorrow (Sept. 14).

The Tigers' next team competition will be on Oct. 2, when they will participate in the Greater Louisville Classic. For all the latest on Mizzou cross country, stay tuned to MUTigers.com.