Cheered on by crowds of fellow track athletes and fans, the men’s cross country team clenched another MIAA conference championship Oct. 22 at the Countryside Golf Course in Pittsburg.

This is the fifth time in six years the men’s team has brought the title home.

“It was the first meet that actually meant something because we met our first goal – bring the trophy back to Joplin. We got’er done,” said Dustin Miller, junior.

Three of the men finished in the top seven and five finished in the top 17 in the MIAA conference.

Southern, with 48 points, topped out preseason No. 1 pick Central Missouri State University by 17 points.

“There was nobody out there that didn’t deserve to win more than we did,” said Tom Rutledge, head men’s cross country coach.

Rutledge said the team has put in the time and effort and was tougher than the other athletes.

Three runners claimed All-MIAA honors by finishing in the top 10.

Miller was the first to complete the course with a third place time of 25:35.60. Sophomore Kyle Davis crossed the finish line in 25:41.50 earning fifth place. Freshman Dustin Dixon pulled in at 25:43.10 for seventh place in the conference.

Dixon said the plan was for him and Davis to lead the first mile, but he said when it got to the half-mile mark, they were at the front of the top pack.

“Then Dustin came along, and we had three in the front,” Dixon said. “I knew it was going to be good.”

The Lions’ No.4, freshman Bret Musser was the 16th man to cross the finish line. He did it in 26:26.10. On his tail, Ryan Arthur, sophomore, finished in 26:26.70 to nail down the Lions’ points for victory. This was Arthur’s first meet coming back off an injury.

“Arthur had a heck of a last mile,” Dixon said. “Coach said he passed like 10 people. He closed the door for us.”

Junior Marcus Walton finished 30th with a time of 27:06.50. Freshman Derek Wright was right behind with 27:06.80 in 31st. Freshman Tyler Chiartano finished in 27:53.30.

Rutledge said the Lions No.6 and 7 beat some of the opponent’s fifth man.

He said a big reason for the team’s success is their work ethic.

“I’ve told people all along this is a special group,” Rutledge said. “They would give me all they had if I asked them.”

He said the team gets better every week, and they believe in their workouts and themselves.

However, work ethic wasn’t the only thing the men used to win the championship.

“They gutted it out,” Rutledge said. “People did things they don’t always do.”

Rutledge recalled when Davis came up to him this season and gave him and idea of what to put on the back of the team’s shirts next year.

“Kyle was exactly right when he said, ‘Doctors are right ­- the body can only take so much then the heart takes over,'” Rutledge said.

Rutledge said by looking at statistics, the team shouldn’t have won.

He said CMSU and Truman State University are better teams and, even Northwest Missouri State University surprised them at conference.

Rutledge said while the pain from the workouts is sometimes atrocious, they are designed to help the team adapt during the race.

“In athletics, when someone starts to falter, you need someone to step up and take their place,” he said.

In fact, Dixon said Davis helped him with the last two miles. Musser said Arthur came up and helped him, and they finished the race together.

“As long as you know you’re pushing them and they’re pushing you,” Musser said, “You know you’ll finish well.”

Rutledge said he is proud of the way the team competed.

“They did everything right and gave everything they had,” he said. “What more could I ask?”

The men will be competing in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Meet in Abilene, Texas Saturday.

If the team places in the top three, they will be heading to national Division-II championships in Pomona, Calif.