WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The Fort Hays State women’s cross country team finished second at the 2017 MIAA Cross Country Championships Saturday (Oct. 21), its best finish since joining the conference in 2006. Three individuals earned All-MIAA honors for the Tigers, including a pair of first team honorees. Central Missouri hosted the six-kilometer race at the Mules National Golf Course on a warm, breezy morning. A total of 104 runners competed in the event.

The Tigers earned 91 points to finish runner-up, three points in front of third place Southwest Baptist. Pittsburg State won the conference title after finishing with 31 points, the lowest team score in the event since Missouri Southern in 2009 (18 points).

Lindsay Roberts led the Tigers to the line, placing fifth with a time of 22:42.04, less than 22 seconds behind individual champion Piper Misse (PSU). Lauren Roberts climbed nine spots over the final three kilometers, finishing eighth with a time of 23:02.35 after sitting in 17th at the 3K split. Both Roberts sisters earned first team All-MIAA honors for their performance.

Chelsea Jackson picked up honorable mention All-MIAA accolades for the fourth time in her career, traversing the course in 23:18.07 to finish 15th. Yessenia Gonzales narrowly missed earning a spot on the All-Conference team, finishing 24th with a time of 23:51.28. Lisa Penner rounded out the scoring for the Tigers, crossing the line in 24:36.10 to place 43rd.

The Tigers will look to carry this momentum with them when they travel to Kearney, Neb. for the NCAA Division II Central Region Championships on November 4, in an attempt to qualify for the National Championships for the second year in a row. The women’s six-kilometer race is set to begin at 11 a.m.