NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Missouri State cross country team finished fifth at the Missouri Valley Conference Championship on Friday morning at Belmont.
 
"I'm very proud of the effort the team put forward today. They got out strong and competed well all the way to the end," head coach Jordan Fife said.
 
The Bears finished the race with 142 points in their highest finish since 2019. MSU had an average time of 22:06 over the 6-kilometer course.
 
For the fourth race in a row, Mia McLain led the Bears to the finish line. McLain finished 16^th overall with a time of 21:43.17. Mary Margaret Harris followed closely behind in 17^th with a time of 21:47.32.
 
McLain and Harris' 16^th and 17^th finishes are the Bears' second and third best in the MVC Championship race since 2019.
 
"We were picked eighth in both the preseason and pre championship polls, and we knew all year we were capable of proving that prediction wrong," Fife said. "Our distance program is certainly on the rise, and this is a great step forward for us."
 
Margo Nea was the next Bear across the finish line with a time of 22:13.82 in 34^th. Madilyn Moore finished less than a second later in 35^th with a time of 22:14.63. Emily Nuttall rounded out the score with her 40^th-place finish with a time of 22:37.35.
 
Natalie Clayton, Tabitha Fox, Harris, McLain, Moore, Nea and Grace Spoonhour all set new personal bests during the Bears' fifth-place finish.
 
"We talked a lot about controlling what we can control and running the best race we could. Our depth really shined today and it's what helped us to tie our best finish in the Valley since 2011, when there were 10 teams instead of 12," Fife said. "We feel like there's more in the tank and we're excited for one more big one in two weeks at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships."
 
The Bears will continue their season at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Stillwater, Okla. on Nov. 10.
   
Individual Results
16. Mia McLain – 21:43.17
17. Mary Margaret Harris – 21:47.32
34. Margo Nea – 22:13.82
35. Madilyn Moore – 22:14.63
40. Emily Nuttall – 22:37.35
44. Grace Spoonhour – 22:36.44
46. Tabitha Fox – 22:41.61
50. Natalie Clayton – 22:48.52
55. Ella Cronhardt – 22:53.06
 
Team Results
1. Belmont – 40
2. Bradley – 59
3. Illinois State – 93
4. Drake – 123
5. Missouri State – 142
6. Southern Illinois – 155
7. Indiana State – 174
8. Northern Iowa – 181
9. UIC – 209
10. Murray State – 273
11. Evansville – 281
12. Valparaiso – 315