Nov. 10, 2010
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Mizzou cross country team is in its final stages of preparation for the 2010 NCAA Midwest Regional Championships, which will be held Saturday (Nov. 13) at Newman Golf Course in Peoria, Ill. Bradley University will serve as the host institution. The competition will mark the Tigers' second race at Newman Golf Course as the men's team and several members of the women's team ran at the Bradley Classic earlier this season.
At the Bradley Classic, the Tiger men earned sixth place overall and were led by Kevin McKee (Kansas City, Mo.), who placed 13th overall with a time of 24:39. He is one of seven Tiger men on the trip this weekend as he joins Aaron Dixon (Lee's Summit, Mo.), Pat Donnelly (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Hayden Legg (Mexico, Mo.), Max Storms (Kansas City, Mo.), Blake Irwin (Bettendorf, Iowa) and Jon Hughes (Center, Mo.).
Storms and Legg also turned in good performances earlier this season at Newman Golf Course as Storms finished 20th overall with a time of 24:48 while Legg placed 43rd with a time of 25:17. Dixon, Donnelly and Irwin all ran at the Bradley Classic as well, highlighted by Dixon's 67th-place finish.
The women will be led by freshman Bailey Belvis (Prosper, Texas) and senior Kinsey Farren (Dallas, Texas). The Tigers' top runner and All-Midwest honoree from a season ago Kaitie Vanatta (Littleton, Colo.) will not run due to injury. Since Vanatta's injury, Belvis and Farren have been the Tigers' top two runners at every meet. Both ran at last year's NCAA Midwest Regional and both finished in the top 65 in last year's regional field.
The majority of the women's team competed at the NCAA Pre-National meet in Terre Haute, Ind., during the same weekend of the Bradley Classic this season, but one women's runners on this weekend's trip, Esther Vermue (Rotterdam, The Netherlands), ran at Bradley that weekend. In fact, Vermue was the Tigers' top finisher in that meet at 42nd overall. She, along with Belvis, Farren and Aimee Bonte (Fenton, Mo.) give the Tigers a solid four runners at the top.
Also making the trip will be freshmen Marie O'Leary (Normal, Ill.) and Maggie Priebe (Wausau, Wis.) along with sophomore Laura Roxberg (Overland Park, Kan.). Roxberg has had a fine season for the Tigers as well in 2010 as she has been near the top Tiger runners in every meet.
For a complete recap of the meet, be sure to check back with MUTigers.com.