The number four is the men’s cross country team’s lucky number.

After winning a fourth straight conference championship, the team will make its fourth straight showing at the national competition. The Lions placed fourth at the NCAA Division II South Central Regional meet Nov. 8 held at Commerce, Texas. Central Missouri State University and Truman State University both placed above Southern at second and third respectively.

Junior Craig Rhodes said the team’s No. 1 runner, senior Magnus Holmstrom, was sick with the flu and he ran as the teams No. 3 runner.

“All we needed was fourth and we did it,” Rhodes said.

Head coach Tom Rutledge said the Lions had their best run Nov. 5 and on the next day Holmstrom came in sick with the flu. Rutledge sent him to the doctor and made him rest for a day.

On Nov. 7 the team left for the meet. Holmstrom placed 21st at the meet, below his 13th-place average.

“Everybody’s been sick with the flu before,” Rutledge said.

“To have a young man even race took a lot of courage. We pounded him with water and a lot of people wouldn’t have done that. A lot of people would have said ‘I’m too sick to race, I just can’t do it.’ He knew there was more at stake than just him racing.”

He said to race with the flu took a lot of courage and Holmstrom did it because he was the team captain and he knew the team depended on him to lead them.

“When you’re throwing up at one end and having the other problem at the other end, … you ache and then you go out 6.2 miles and compete, that had to be torture,” Rutledge said. “I’m proud of him, by God I love that guy.”

Rhodes, who was suffering from an injured knee when he placed 17th with a time of 32:18.30, said “as long as we get him (Holmstrom) healthy and work hard these couple of weeks,” then the team should finish in the top eight.

The Lions are currently ranked 17th in the nation.

“Right now were pulling back, I’ve got to get Craig Rhodes’ knee a little bit better and stronger,” Rutledge said. “It’s been a hard year, these guys have paid a price. Unfortunately, every race has been tough. I do know this; having all those races at Oklahoma State and running against the University of Arkansas and running against Division I national powers week-in and week-out has made these guys mentally and physically tough. That is the reason we’re where we’re at right now, because they had to race against those people early in the year and during the season. It just made them tougher and tougher and tougher. Hopefully we can get in the top 10; hopefully even more we can get in the top eight. No matter what the outcome, these guys have done a great job.”