Missouri State cross country dominated the field at the SIUE Cougar Challenge. Coach Hipp's Bears finished 1^st, 2^nd, 4^th, 5^th and 6^th to finish first in the field. The leader for the Bears was sophomore Emily Beaver at 18:29.75. Right behind her was freshman Leah Nichols 18:39.22. Next across the finish line was freshman Monica Smith (19:11.08, 4^th), freshman Lisa Imgrund (19:16.94, 5^th), Ashton Stubbs (19:21.66, 6^th), senior MJ Vance (19:35.14, 7^th), junior Andrea Marshall (19:55.97, 10^th), freshman Nicole Thate (20:08.77, 12^th), freshman Megan Fox (20:32.23, 15^th) and freshman Emily Argotsinger (20:55.35, 17^th) in that order.  SIUE runner Aftan Noon (18:48.45, 3^rd) was the only athlete in the field to prevent the total sweep by Missouri State.

"It is nice to get a big team win," Hipp said. "We can build from this for our upcoming competitions in the next few weeks."

Next up for the Bears will be the Richard Clark Invitational sponsored by the Greater Springfield Sports Commission. The meet will be on Oct. 2 at the MSU cross country facility. The meet will feature some of the premier cross country talent from across the Midwest. Midwest powerhouses Wichita State, Texas Tech and Toledo will be competing in a loaded field.

Also on this weekend will be the MSU track and field/cross country alumni weekend. The main event will be an alumni banquet at the Prime Overtime Club at JQH Arena. More information for the event can be found at bearstrack.net.