JOPLIN — The sixth-ranked Missouri Southern men’s cross country team, as well as Gidieon Kimutai repeated as team and individual champions as the Lions competed in the 2019 MIAA Cross Country Championships hosted at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course.
Kimutai traversed the 8k course nearly two minutes faster than he did at last year’s championships, finsihing 22 seconds in front of his nearest competitor with a time of 23:37.3. Kimutai wins his fourth event of the year as he has won every race he’s ran in this season.
Nickson Kiptoo was fifth at 24:29.3, while Ryan Riddle was seventh at 24:42.4. Cody Berry was eighth at 24:45.3. All four were 1st-team All-MIAA for their efforts.
Jarod Ozee placed 14th in a time of 25:16.1, while Nathan Painter was 17th in a time of 25:19.1 to earn honorable-mention All-MIAA honors. Kevin Koester was 27th, while Josh Webb and Michael Shanahanplaced 43rd and 46th, respectively.
The Lions had 35 points as a team, 21 points in front of second-place Northwest Missouri. Central Missouri was third, followed by Fort Hays State, Nebraska-Kearney, Pittsburg State, Emporia State, Rogers State, Missouri Western and Newman to round out the team scores.
The Lions will be back in action in two weeks when the Lions play host to the 2019 NCAA Central Region Championships on November 9 at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course.
