The Missouri southern men’s cross country teams had a busy 2012 season.

“It’s been a good year. I would venture

to say the Missouri southern has the best cross country teams in the MIAA this millennium,” men’s coach Tom Rutledge said. “We’re always competitors and we’re always nationally

ranked.”

The lions opened their season at the University of Arkansas. Sophomore Eric Schott from Cape Girardeau, Mo placed third, 30 seconds behind the leader.

At the First to Finish Southern Stampede the men’s cross country team earned second. They were the top Division II teams in the race.

Schott was the top Division II runner

in the southern Stampede, earning

a third place time of 25:08.35. Todd earned 11 place with a time of 25:33.94 followed by Junior Jake Benton

from Wentzville, Mo in 14 with at time of 25:43.49. Webster earned 22, while Wooldridge and Ryan Jackson placed 32 and 34. Henry placed 60. The lions scored 72 points as a team.

The lions attended the Oklahoma State Jamboree where the team earned 6 place.

Eric Schott earned the fifth highest time among division two runners and finished 27 with a time of 25:28.22.

At The Jacking Jocks invite hosted by Missouri S&T the team took home the title.

Todd and Schott led the race for the men’s team placing 2 and 3, Schott trailing Todd’s 25:01.59 time by just a 12 of a second. Webster was just 7 seconds

behind them with a 4 place finish.

Benton earned a time of 25:22.60, placing 7. Wooldridge followed with a 10 place time of 25:33.73. Jackson and Henry placed 19 and 26, respectively.

The men finished in third place at the 2012 MIAA Championship meet.

Schott led the men’s team in 3 place with an All-MIAA status time of 25:32.79. Todd followed with a 7 placed time of 25:47.84 and earned All-MIAA status as well. Benton placed 9 with a time of 25:50.75. Webster

earned 21 place with a time of 26:16.30, Wooldridge followed with a time of 24:04.24 in 39 place. Jackson placed 43 and Niggermann placed 51 followed by Pogue in 65 place.

At NCAA Division II Regional’s the Men earned second place, qualifying for a spot in the 2012 NCAA Division II National Championships.

Three of the runners for the team earned All-Region honors. Schott led the race with a time of 30:27.3, placing

fifth. Benton earned 13 place with a time of 30:43.1, followed by Todd in 19 with a time of 30:52.2. Webster and Wooldridge earned times of 31:01.1 and 31:35.0 placing 26 and 40, respectively.

Jackson and Niggeman placed 94 and 140.

The lions closed the season at home, in the NCAA Division II National Championships taking home 8 place.

“We had a lot of ups and downs, we had injuries, we had sickness. We were ranked to win conference and we didn’t do it. When we got to nationals we were all really excited, we did not expect to actually get that eighth spot. The new freshman that came in couldn’t have worked any harder than they did and we came together really well,” Webster said.

Schott and Webster led the lions, earning 44 and 47 place completing the 10k course with times of 30:33.3 and 30:39.0.

Todd followed close behind with a 49 place time of 30:39.4. Benton finished

with a time of 31:33.9, earning 105 place.

Jackson earned 121 with a time of 31:43.0, while Wooldridge was 177 in a time of 32:24.5. Niggemann finished the course in a time of 33:39.3.

The lions finished with 308 points.