Four Owls Compete at Cross Country Nationals

(Kenosha, Wisc., Nov. 22)--Four members of the William Woods University cross country team competed in the NAIA Cross Country National Championships on Saturday at Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The women took the course at 10:30 am. Kristi Palmer finished 72nd out of 327 runners. Palmer finished with a time of 18:47.7. Palmer, a sophomore from Ste. Genevieve, Mo., competed in her second consecutive NAIA National Championship race.

Cheryl Held, a freshman from Wildwood, Mo., finished 111th. Held finished with a time of 19:08.5

Palmer and Held were members of the William Woods cross country team that won the 2008 American Midwest Conference Championship. Palmer was a member of the 2008 All-AMC team, and the 2008 Academic All-AMC team. Held was selected the 2008 AMC Freshman of the Year. She was also named to the All-AMC team.

The men took the course at 11:45 am. Brent Almand finished 29th out of 331 runners. Almand finished with a time of 25:15.8. Almand, a senior from The Woodlands, Tex., competed in his first NAIA Championship race.

Phil Guidry, a senior from Lafayette, La., finished 199th. Guidry finished with a time of 26:58.5. Guidry competed in his first NAIA Championship race.

Almand and Guidry were members of the William Woods cross country team that won the 2008 American Midwest Conference Championship. Almand won the 2008 AMC individual championship and was named the AMC Championship Outstanding Runner. He was also a member of the 2008 All-AMC team, and the 2008 Academic All-AMC team. Guidry was also selected to the 2008 All-AMC and Academic All-AMC squad.

NAIA National Championship Links:

Men's Cross Country National Championships

Women's Cross Country National Championships

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Four Owls Head to Cross Country Nationals

(FULTON, Mo., Nov. 20)--Four members of the William Woods University cross country team will travel to Kenosha, Wisconsin, on November 22nd to compete in the 2008 NAIA Cross Country Championships. Phil Guidry, Brent Almand, Cheryl Held, and Kristi Palmer qualified for the Championships through their efforts at the American Midwest Conference Championships on November 7th in Forest Park, Missouri.

Complete Story

NAIA National Championship Links:

Men's Cross Country National Championships

Women's Cross Country National Championships

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Palmer named as WWU Student-Athlete of the Month for October

(Fulton, Mo., Nov. 13th) -- Sophomore women's cross country runner Kristi Palmer (Saint Genevieve, Mo.) has been named as William Woods University Student-Athlete on the Month for October.

Palmer a two-time All-American Midwest Conference performer led the Owls to their first win of the year at the Yellow Jacket Classic in Lamoni, Ia. with a 3rd place overall finish with a time of 19:33.

She then led the Owls to the American Midwest Conference Championship with a school record time of 18:12 and a second place individual finish giving the Owls their fourth conference title in the past five years.

With her outstanding performance Palmer also has qualified for the NAIA National Women's Cross Country

Championship to be held on November 22nd in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

In addition to being an outstanding athlete, Palmer who is majoring in Social Work also excels in the classroom earning Academic ALL-AMC honors.

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AMC Champions

(FOREST PARK, Mo., Nov. 7)--The William Woods University women’s cross country team won the American Midwest Conference Cross Country Championships on Friday. The Owls have now won four of the last five AMC Championships.

The Owls finished first in a field of five teams.  The Owls placed six runners in the top ten.

Kristi Palmer was the top finisher for the Owls.  Palmer finished 2nd in a field of 30 runners.  She finished with a time of 18:12.  Cheryl Held finished 25 seconds behind Palmer to finish in third individually.

Top Finishers for the Women’s Cross Country Team

Kristi Palmer (Ste. Genevieve, Mo.)         2nd       18:12

Cheryl Held (Wildwood, Mo.)                   3rd        18:37

Latrice Fletcher (Independence, Mo.)       6th        19:17

LeeAnn Beard (Hannibal, Mo.)                 7th        19:38

Jessica Bollinger (Ste. Genevieve, Mo.)    8th        19:39

Jordan Locke (Hannibal, Mo.)                  10th      20:23

Award Winners

Cheryl Held - AMC Freshman of the Year

Jessica Bollinger - AMC Newcomer of the Year

Bollinger and Palmer - Academic All-AMC

Palmer, Held, Fletcher, Beard, Bollinger, and Locke - All-AMC

Brayce Forsha - AMC Women’s Coach of the Year

Palmer and Held qualified for the NAIA National Cross Country Championships in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on November 22nd.  The team will find out if they will receive an at-large bid to the Championships on Tuesday, November 11th.

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Women’s Cross Country Wins Yellow Jacket Classic

(LAMONI, Iowa, Oct. 25)--The William Woods University women’s cross country team won the Yellow Jacket Classic at Graceland University on Saturday.  The Owls defeated 16 other teams to collect its first victory of the season. 

Kristi Palmer (Ste. Genevieve, Mo.) and Cheryl Held (Wildwood, Mo.) were top runners for the Owls.  Palmer finished third out of 144 runners.  She finished the race with a time of 19:08.12; three seconds out of second place, and nine seconds our of first place.  Held finished fourth with a time of 19:33.94.

Other results for William Woods:

Top Five results:

The Owls will return to action on November 7th in the American Midwest Conference Cross Country Championships.  The Owls are the defending AMC champions, and have won three of the last four AMC Championships.

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Women’s Cross Country Competes at SIU-Edwardsville (EDWARDSVILLE, Ill., Oct. 11)--The William Woods University women’s cross country team finished 10th out of 16 teams at the Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville Border Wars on Saturday morning.

Missouri Southern University won the meet.  The Owls were the only NAIA school competing in the SIU-Edwardsville Border Wars.

Kristi Palmer was the top finisher for the Owls.  Palmer finished 18th out of 131 runners with a time of 19:24.  Kimi Shank (Missouri Southern University) won the event with a time of 18:01.96.

Cheryl Held finished ten seconds behind Palmer.  Held finished 25th with a time of 19:34.

Remaining Results:

Latrice Fletcher - 47th - 20:15

Jessica Bollinger - 74th - 20:58

Jordan Locke - 79th - 21:06

Lindsey Evans - 108th - 23:17

Christine Scott - 113th - 23:42

“This was a difficult course with two large inclines,” said Coach Brayce Forsha.  “This was by far the toughest course we have run this year.”

The Owls will return to action on October 25th.  The Owls will compete in the Yellow Jacket Classic in Lamoni, Iowa.

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WWU Competes in Louisville Classic

(LOUISVILLE, Ky., Oct. 4)--The William Woods University women's cross country team finished 22nd our of 32 teams at the Greater Louisville Cross Country Classic. The Owls competed in the top division (Gold) in the two-tier division race.

Cheryl Held was top runner for the Owls. She finished 84th out of 265 runners. Held finished with a time of 18:56.27 Kristi Palmer finished her race on the heals of Held. Palmer finished 91st with a time of 19:01.76.

Latrice Fletcher and Jessica Bollinger finished a little over 30 seconds behind Palmer. Fletcher finished 129th with a time of 19:33.41, a personal best. Bollinger finished 136th with a time of 19:39.76.

Jordan Locke and Lindsey Evans rounded out the final two spots for the Owls. Locke finished 206th with a time of 20:29.99. Evans finished 250th with a time of 25:10.29.

"A bright spot for the women was Latrice Fletcher," said Coach Forsha. "With that race I hope Latrice has gained the confidence to know that she can run at this level."

The Owls will return to action on Saturday, October 11th. The will travel to Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.

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Owls Race to 11th Place Finish

(JOPLIN, Mo., Sept.20)--The William Woods University women's cross country team finished 11th out of 25 teams at the Missouri Southern meet on Saturday. The Owls finished third among NAIA schools competing in the MOSO Stampede. The University of Tulsa won the event. Their top five finished 1st, 3rd, 5th, 11th, and 12th.

Cheryl Held led the way for William Woods. Held finished 29th in a field of 278. She finished the race with a time of 18:48.0. Alex Becker (University of Tulsa) won the event with a time of 16:45.2. Jessica Bollinger finished 57th for William Woods. She finished the race with a time of 19:23.8.

Remaining William Woods Women's Cross Country Team Individual Results:

LeeAnn Beard (84th) - 19:49.2

Latrice Fletcher (90th) - 19:52.6

Jordan Locke (114th) - 20:19.8

Lindsey Evans (207th) - 22:43.8

Christine Scott (229th) - 23:32.7

"Cheryl has been a very pleasant surprise," said Coach Brayce Forsha. "She only ran one year in high school and is still learning how to train and race."

The Owls will return to the course on October 4th. They will compete in the Louisville Classic in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Owls Open 2008 Season

(WARRENSBURG, Mo., Sept. 12)--The William Woods University women's cross country team opened its 2008 season with a fourth place finish at the University of Central Missouri Mules Run on Friday.

William Woods finished behind NCAA Division II schools Pittsburg State University, University of Central Missouri, and Southwest Baptist University. Pittsburg State won the event with a score of 51. The University of Central Missouri scored 84 points to finish second. Southwest Baptist University scored 87 points to finish third. William Woods finished five points out of second place with a score of 89.

In a field of 13 schools, William Woods was the highest NAIA finisher in the race. The closest NAIA school was MidAmerica Nazarene. They finished fifth with 115 points.

Kristi Palmer (Ste. Genevieve, Mo.) and Cheryl Held (Wildwood, Mo.) finished 8th and 9th, and led the way for William Woods. The field consisted of 129 runners. Palmer was able to out-kick Held at the end to finish just over two seconds ahead of her. Palmer finished the race with a time of 15:32.66. Held finished the race with a time of 15:34.44.

Jessica Bollinger (Ste. Genevieve, Mo.) finished 19th in the event. She finished with a time of 16:05.44. LeeAnn Beard (Hannibal, Mo.) finished 29th with a time of 16:23.57. Latrice Fletcher (Independence, Mo.) finished 33rd with a time of 16:30.97. Jordan Locke (Hannibal, Mo.) finished 43rd with a time of 16:45.30. Lindsey Evans (New Bloomfield, Mo.) finished 85th with a time of 18:23.95.

For the race results click HERE.

"Overall, I was happy with the effort," said Coach Forsha. "The women, running so well for their first meet of the season, should be a big confidence booster going into our second race at Missouri Southern this weekend."

The Owls will return to action on September 20th, at the Missouri Southern University Stampede.