Another school year has begun here at Missouri Southern as the fall teams and their coaches start gearing up for what they hope will be successful seasons.

The women’s cross country team is coming off a No. 2 showing at the MIAA Championships last year. They also took third place at the NCAA Division-II South Central Regional meet.

“If our young runners can develop like how I think they will, we could have a very successful season,” Head Coach Patty Vavra said.

The Lions do not have any seniors this season, but with veterans like junior Marlee Tegenkamp and sophomore Rachel Schrader, the team has proven leaders that will aim to take this young team to a conference title.

“Our main goal this season is consistency, win conference, win regionals, and qualify for the National Championship meet,” Vavra said.

Even though the Lions are a bit young this year, they are still viewed as the top team in the MIAA, as they were picked to finish first in conference in the preseason coaches’ poll.

Vavra also mentioned that the young runners from last season got a taste of what this program strives for: success and championships.

“We need the sophomore class to step up this season, and the freshmen will need to develop quickly,” Vavra said. “I think this team will develop a lot over the season, I am very excited to see what they can do.”

The Lions open their season today at Fayetteville, Ark. in the Division-I Arkansas Invitational.