Oct. 28, 2008

St. Louis, Mo - The 2008 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championship will be held this Saturday, November 1, at the Missouri State Cross Country Course in Springfield, Mo, hosted by Missouri State University and the Outdoor Fitness Festival. Southern Illinois maintained its preseason position and were again voted as the pre-race favorite in the coaches' pre-championship poll. The Saluki men are looking to earn their 12th title in school history, as well as repeat as Valley champions for the first time since 1994-95. The men's 8k race will begin at 12:45 p.m., following the women's race. The veteran Saluki squad received eight first-place votes and 80 total points from the leagues nine coaches as they look to repeat as Valley champions in 2008.

Men's Pre-Championship Poll
Team (First-Place Votes) Points
Southern Illinois (8) 80
Illinois State (1) 72
Indiana State 63
Drake 53
Wichita State 46
UNI 30
Bradley 21
Creighton 20
Evansville 19

Women's Preview

The 2008 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championship will be held this Saturday, November 1, at the Missouri State Cross Country Course in Springfield, Mo, hosted by Missouri State University and the Outdoor Fitness Festival. Missouri State maintained its preseason position and were again voted as the pre-race favorite in the coaches' pre-championship poll. The Bears are looking to earn their sixth title in school history, and their first since 2004, after finishing as the runner-up last season. The women's 5k race will kick things off in Springfield at 12:00 p.m.

Women's Pre-Championship Poll
Team (First-Place Votes) Points
Missouri State (7) 91
Wichita State (2) 89
Southern Illinois (1) 74
Illinois State 66
UNI 65
Indiana State 56
Drake 49
Bradley 28
Creighton 16
Evansville 16