The nationally-ranked Missouri Southern men's and women's cross country programs will be in action tomorrow as the Lions compete in the 2018 MIAA Cross Country Championships, hosted by Emporia State at Jones Park.
The Southern men are ranked 16th coming into the race and are third in the latest regional rankings done by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Southern is the lone team ranked in the national poll. The Lions are coming off a win at Central Missouri two weeks ago and have finished either first or second in all by one meet this season (6th at Arkansas).
At Central, the Lions went first and second with Nickson Kiptoo and Gidieon Kimutai and Southern had all nine runners in the top 21. Southern finished third in last year's Championship and Kiptoo was the 2017 runner-up.
As a team, the Southern men have won ten MIAA titles, with the last coming in 2016. The Lions won eight titles in a ten-year span from 2000-2009. Individually, the Lions have had six champions with the last being Vincent Kiprop who captured back-to-back championships in 2015 and 2016, while Eric Schott took home the title in 2014.
The Southern women are ranked 22nd coming into the race and are one of three MIAA schools ranked in the top-25 (Southwest Baptist - 18, Pittsburg State - 19). The Lions are ranked sixth in the latest Central Region Poll as done by the USTFCCCA and are coming off a third-place showing at Central Missouri two weeks ago where Ashlee Kuykendall placed second overall. Southern had four runners in the top 15, narrowly missing out on second place by a single point.
This season, the Lions have placed second at SBU, fourth at Fort Hays State and third at Central Missouri. Southern was fourth in the 2017 MIAA Championship with Kuykendall placing seventh individually.
In the program's history, the Loins have had seven team titles with a stretch of six in a nine-year span from 2006-2014. The team has had two individual titles, both coming from Kimi Shank in 2008 and 2009.
The men's race will begin at 10 am with the women's race starting at 11 am.
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