Pittsburg, Kan. -- The Missouri Southern men's cross country team had three runners place in the top nine and five in the top 19, but the Lions were narrowly edged by Central Missouri for the 2013 MIAA Cross Country team title.
The Lions had 57 points in the team standings, but the Mules scored 56 for one of closest finishes in recent history.
Eric Schott placed fifth, traversing the 8k course in a time of 24:55.58 to earn All-MIAA honors. Jake Benton finished seventh (25:02.95) while Andrew Webster was ninth (25:10.54) and both earned All-MIAA honors.
Adrian Todd was 17th with a time of 25:33.30, while Tyler Rush was 19th in a time of 25:35.24. Colton Wolldridge was 23rd in a time of 25:45.25, while Ryan Jackson and Nathan Henry placed 44th and 53rd, respectively. Jacob Coffman and Drake Smelser finished 74th and 81st.
Central and Southern were first and second, while Southwest Baptist placed third, followed by Nebraska-Kearney and Northwest Missouri to round out the top five team scores. Pittsburg State was sixth, followed by Fort Hays, Lindenwood and Emporia State.
The Lions will be back in action on November 9 when Southern travels to Augustana to compete in the 2013 NCAA Central Region Cross Country Championships.
