IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Missouri State women's cross country team wrapped up its season at a snowy NCAA Midwest Regional at the University of Iowa on Friday morning. The Bears' 20th-place finish matched the squad's best showing at the NCAA meet since 2010.

"I was proud of how we battled today" said head coach Jordan Fife. "Conference didn't go our way two weeks ago and it would have been easy to still be down from that, plus we dealt with snow and 30mph wind gusts out there today. The team did a really good job of just embracing the moment and doing their best to make the most of this experience."

Edna Dar led the Bears in the race, which featured 223 competitors from across the Midwest. The senior raced a time of 22:04.56, a career best for the 6-kilometer distance. Under 20 seconds behind her were teammates Sierra Williams and Alex Hamre. Williams finished the day with a time of 22:13.25 and while Hamre, once again shaving four seconds off her career best, ran a 22:18.04. The pair also placed in the top 100 for the Bears, recording finishes of 93rd and 99th place.

The trio was part of the seven-member team racing at the regional for MSU against 32 teams in their region. The team recorded an overall team finish of 20th with 584 points, matching their 2019 regional finish.

Shelby Palmer and Mary Margaret Harris were the next to cross the finish line for the Bears at the Ashton Cross Country Course in Iowa City. They ran times of 23:01.20 and 23:20.05, respectively, while Lillie Kaempfe 24:10.68) and Adyson Delaney 24:36.88) solidified the Bears race and season in 204th and 211th place.  

"We've now been 20th in the region, three out of the last four years, and that's our best finish since 2010," added Fife. "It feels like we're on the brink of something and it was crucial we finish the season with some positive momentum so we're happy with that."

Minnesota captured the hotly-contested team title with 45 points while Oklahoma State 75) and Iowa State 81) rounded out the top three.  
 
Missouri State Individual Finishers
83. Edna Dar (22:04.56)
93. Sierra Williams (22:13.25)
99. Alex Hamre (22:18.04)
148. Shelby Palmer (23:01.20)
169. Mary Margaret Harris (23:20.05)
204. Lillie Kaempfe (24:10.68)
211. Adyson Delaney (24:36.88)

Final Team Standings
1. Minnesota 45
2. Oklahoma State 75
3. Iowa State 81
4. Northwestern 169
5. Illinois 192
6. Kansas State 243
7. Tulsa 263
8. Missouri 275
9. Nebraska 303
10. Bradley 341
11. Loyola 347
12. Kansas 352
13. South Dakota St. 365
14. Iowa 388
15. South Dakota 431
16. Illinois State 451
17. North Dakota State 457
18. Eastern Illinois 507
19. Drake 515
20. Missouri State 584
21. Wichita State 586
22. Southern Illinois 610
23. Northern Iowa 622
24. North Dakota 640
25. DePaul 651
26. Creighton 692
27. Saint Louis 717
28. Northern Illinois 728
29. Illinois-Chicago 742
30. SE Missouri 871
31. SIU Edwardsville 873
32. Western Illinois 921