Joplin, Mo. -- Missouri Southern senior Eric Schott took home the individual title and the 14th ranked Lions cross country team placed third overall in the 2014 First to the Finish Southern Stampede today at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course. 

Schott traversed the 8k course and came out on top, 17 seconds in front of the nearest competitor, finishing with a time of 24:32.13. Senior Andrew Webster placed eighth with a time of 25:23.58. Sophomore Tyler Rush was 15th, while seniors Adrian Todd placed 21st and Colton Wooldridge was 29th. 

Senior Alex Mason was 35th, while sophomore Drake Smelser placed 60th. Freshman Gabe Lodge placed 72nd, while fellow freshmen Ben Southwick and Steven Chorma placed 78th and 79th, respectively. Freshman Travis Elbert placed 130th. 

The University of Oklahoma took home the team title with 38 points, while Oklahoma City University placed second. The Lions placed third with 74 points, while East Central and the University of Tulsa placed fifth. 

Pittsburg State was sixth, followed by Allen County, Missouri S&T, Newman and Maryville to round out the top ten team scores. 

The Lions will be back in action on October 4th, traveling to the University of Arkansas to take part in the Chili Pepper Invite.