Aug 30, 2013

Results - Women   |   Results - Men

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Tigers cross country kicked off their season today at home against the nearby Missouri Valley College.  Both teams overcame intense +90-degree weather to lay down some impressive performances for the season's start.

"Tonight was a great opener for the teams," said Head Coach Joe Lynn, now in his third year at the helm of the men's team and second for the women. "I'm really proud with the way we handled the adverse conditions.  Seeing both teams work together out there and cover some gaps is encouraging."

The women hit the line first at 5:30 p.m.  Sophomore Sam Garrett stepped up to lead the Tigers, navigating the course in 17:46.8 to place third.  Coming in for a tight 1-2 finish were unattached athletes Kaitlyn Fischer and Kaelyn Balch at 17:23.  Garrett was next, followed by Brooke Wolfe and Kayla Friesen, both unattached to round out the meet's top five finishers.  Junior Courtney Brown, senior Marie O'Leary, junior Ali Ross, and junior Courtney Wood finished out the Tigers' scorers.

The men went off at 6:00 p.m., with a tight group of Tigers taking the lead early on.  At the finish it was sophomore Kenny Cushing who came away with a win in 22:50.6, followed by freshman teammate Dan Roe.  Unattached athletes Evan Chiplock, Sam Dickerson, and Timothy Carey finished out the overall top five.  Freshman Jordan Cook, senior Hayden Legg, and freshman Ian McGinn also scored for the Tigers, keeping an 18-second spread for the squad's top five.

The Tigers will be down in Fayetteville next weekend for a head-to-head against the University of Arkansas.  For the latest on your Tigers, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter @MIZ_TrackField.