The Missouri State cross country team just finished the 2009 Missouri Valley Championship with a fifth-place finish. However, sophomore standout Terry Phillips (Kansas City, Mo.) finished ahead of all runners in the field to take home her first individual conference championship. This is the second consecutive year that a Bear runner has captured the individual title. Phillips is the third individual champ in Missouri State history.
"Terry started strong and controlled the entire race," head coach Greg Hipp said. "She beat a lot of really tough girls. I am really proud of Terry for the way she has run today and all season."
The course conditions were wet and muddy on the course in Peoria, Ill. Standing water was visible on numerous parts of the course. Though the conditions were rough, Phillips again thrived. In the Bears' last race at the Chile Pepper Festival the conditions were so muddy that the team's van had to be towed out of the mud. In that race too, Phillips finished well.
"I have only seen one course that was in worse condition in my entire career," Hipp said. "Bradley did a great job preparing the course, but it was just so wet. We were wearing 5/8 inch spikes, and still could not get traction."
Freshman Ashton Stubbs was the second Bear to finish, her time of 19:50 earned a 22
nd overall finish. Missouri State's lone senior, Staci Nelson finished right behind with 19:53, 23
rd overall. The other Bears finished in the order of freshman Emily Beaver (19:59, 25
th overall), freshman Andrea Marshall (20:06, 30
th overall), junior Stephanie Harres (20:10, 34
th overall), freshman Ashton Stubbs (20:30, 41
strd overall). overall) and Mari-Jean Vance (20:34, 43
The Bears will now host the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Midwest Regional on Nov. 14 at noon. The race will be run at the Missouri State Cross Country Facility at Springfield Underground.