Men’s X-country captures fourth straight title

Philip Martin|October 29, 2003

Head men´s cross country coach Tom Rutledge dyed his hair green after the Lions won the conference. Rutledge coaches junior Joel Standeford in preparation for NCAA Division II South Central Regional.

Head men´s cross country coach Tom Rutledge dyed his hair green after the Lions won the conference. Rutledge coaches junior Joel Standeford in preparation for NCAA Division II South Central Regional.

In 2000, they shaved his head; in 2001, they bleached his hair; and in 2003, the men’s cross country team dyed head coach Tom Rutledge’s hair green.

Rutledge said the dying of the hair was the players’ idea. He told them he would dye his hair after they won the championship.

“I have to go through a day of school with my hair dyed green, so what,” Rutledge said. “I tell you what, I was so happy Saturday I would have come back to Pittsburg State and run down the center of the football field naked. I would have done practically anything, because these guys laid it out. I was so freaking proud of them.”

Missouri Southern (47 points) defeated Truman State University (48). Finishing out the race were Central Missouri State University (87), Northwest Missouri State University (92), Emporia State University (128), Pittsburg State University (142), University of Missouri-Rolla (178) and Southwest Baptist University (210).

Rutledge said the team was picked to win the conference at the beginning of the year because of last year’s results, but TSU “came on like banshees.”

“It was a race to always remember,” he said. “It was a feat you could not understand, unless you were there.”

Rutledge said there were three All-MIAA athletes at Southern, which is more than the rest of the universities. Finishing in the top 10 were CMSU sophomore Jarod Wall (25:13.04), TSU senior Alan Heincker (25:32.15), Southern senior Magnus Holmstrom (26:10), TSU junior Andy Person (26:13), Southern junior Paul Koehler (26:16), NWMSU senior John Heil (26:48), NWMSU senior Kyle Keraus (26:42), PSU sophomore Eric Sornson (26:48) and Southern junior Craig Rhoads. The next race for the team will be Nov. 8 at the NCAA Division II South Central Regionals in Commerce, Texas. Freshman Brian Roe said the team was “pretty happy” with the win, and the team is preparing for the next race.

“Gosh, we trained all season for this (regionals),” Roe said.

Rutledge said the goals for the season were to win conference, place within the top four and place within the top 10 in nationals.