Nov. 1, 2014
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CARBONDALE, Ill. - The 2014 Missouri Valley Cross Country Championships were held Saturday morning at Southern Illinois University Cross Country Course. The ten Valley schools raced the 5K course in frigid conditions, with Missouri State finishing in tenth.
"We didn't have our best team effort today," said head coach Jordan Fife. "Some sickness was floating around this week, and that probably contributed to that."
Freshman Jessica Allen paced the Bears, a feat she accomplished in every meet this season, with her 57th place finish and time of 19:01.05.
Oliviah Sloan set a new personal best with her 19:25.59. Kaitlyn Cravens (19.30.02), Savannah Beaver (19:47.04), Tenaly Smith (19:55.82), Cindy Forde (20:15.99), and Emma Farley (21:26.41) round out the field for MSU, with Farley recording her top collegiate time as well.
"At the end of the day, we will take away a lot of positives," said the first-year head coach. "Five of our seven were running in their first conference meet so we gained experience for the coming years. Also, I think a new fire has been lit with many of them, and they now realize what it will take from a training perspective and a mental frame of mind to be competitive at this level."
With 39 points and a top five total time of 1:26:59.54, Bradley claims the MVC title for the first time since 1998. Illinois State (71), Southern Illinois (78), Wichita State (94), and Northern Iowa (127) round out the top five.
"There is an excitement amongst them for turning this around and coming in as a totally different team next year," added Fife.
