Behind a handful of top-10 individual performances, both Missouri cross country squads claimed second place overall at the Billiken XC Invite on Friday in Saint Louis.
Yeomans’ Top-3 Finish Leads Mizzou
The women’s squad secured a second-place finish in the 6K on Friday, piling up 48 team points. Morgan Yeomans led the charge for the Tigers, taking third overall with a time of 23:03.3.
The Tigers packed the front of the field, placing two more runners in the top 10. Maleah Eggers crossed the line seventh with a time of 23:40.3, followed
by Elissa Barnard in eighth at 23:49.8.
Natalie Barnard grabbed a 15th place result of 25:15.6, while Lily Ginsberg rounded out the squad in 21st at 27:20.4.
All five Mizzou runners finished inside the top 25 of the 39 finishers. Host team Saint Louis defended its home course to claim the team victory.
With top runners Monica Wanjiku, Kobi Walker, and Suzy Lecoutre held out of action this weekend, the meet served as an opportunity for the other runners to gain racing repetitions as Mizzou gears up for the postseason.
Kiprop’s Debut Fuels Mizzou Men to Runner-Up Finish
The Mizzou men’s squad grabbed second place overall in the 8K, racking up 55 team points. Emmanuel Kiprop led the Tigers in his Mizzou debut, pacing the squad with a fifth-place finish overall in 27:31.1.
Ethan Lee and Joshua Allison rounded out the top 10 for the black and gold, finishing back-to-back in eighth and ninth place with times of 28:01.3 and 28:01.7.
Joseph Bariola took 19th overall with a time of 30:39.3, and Ethan Hogan crossed right alongside him in 20th, at the same 30:39.3 mark.
All five Tigers placed inside the top 20 of the 36 finishers during the race. Saint Louis claimed the overall team title with their results.
Similar to the women’s squad, Elijah Limo, Raymond Kipkoech and Tyler Freiner sat out the meet, opening the door for veterans and newcomers to showcase their talent.
Meet Results: https://live.brrm.com/meets/75089/events/xc/2917956
What’s Next
The Tigers will head back home for their annual Gans Creek Classic Friday, Sept. 25, in Columbia, Mo. This will be the Tigers first home meet of the season, and a chance to build on their strong start leading up to the postseason.
To read more about Missouri’s cross country team, follow@Rock MNation and @SophBleedsLA on twitter/X.
