Joplin, Mo. – Ryan Riddle won the individual championship and the Missouri Southern cross country team placed second at the 2021 NCAA Division II Regional Championship held today at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course.
Riddle continues his undefeated streak as he had a 15 second advantage on the second-place runner, teammate
JP Rutledge who finished second. Riddle crossed the 10k line in a time of 29:22.28, while Rutledge crossed in a time of 29:37.54.
Riley Simpson finished sixth in a time of 29:58.93, while
Jarod Ozee placed 23
rd in a time of 30:36.28. Riddle, Rutledge, Simpson and Ozee all earned All-Region honors for their performances.
Zachary Finley placed 49
th in a time of 31:31.97, while
Kevin Koester (31:37.16) and
Landon Fatino (31:56.94) placed 54
th and 64
th, respectively.
Augustana took the team title with 43 points, while the Lions were second with 81. Pittsburg State finished third with 92 points and all three teams qualify for the National Finals on November 20 in Tampa.
Nebraska-Kearney was fifth, followed by University of Mary, Fort Hays State, Northwest Missouri, Sioux Falls, and Emporia State round out the top ten team scores.
The Lions will be back in action on November 20 when Southern travels to Tampa, Fla. for the 2021 NCAA Division II National Championships hosted by Saint Leo University.
