The race to the top of the Southeastern Conference hill is on.

For the Missouri men’s and women’s cross country teams, the dash toward becoming a perennial conference and national powerhouse begins with a new name at the helm.

Lindsey Anderson, an Olympian and two-time All American at Weber State, replaced Marc Burns, who stepped down from his position after eight seasons, as the new men’s and women’s cross country head coach.

Missouri last reached the NCAA Championships in 2016 under Burns, who coached the women’s team to a NCAA Regional title. The Tigers have not recaptured that magic in the years since and now face a future without Burns at the lead.

Anderson comes to Missouri after serving as the College of Southern Idaho’s cross country head coach for five years. She led the revival of CSI’s program, which relaunched under her leadership following a 19-year hiatus.

Anderson now looks to bring that success to Missouri.

Last season the Tigers’ men’s program closed the season with a third place finish in the SEC Championships, while the women’s side placed seventh. Anderson hopes to earn appearances in the NCAA Regionals and NCAA Cross Country National Championships.

For those visions to become reality, Missouri’s distance runners will need to take a sprint forward in a competitive SEC field.

Arkansas, which has won nine consecutive women’s SEC Championships and 10 of the last 12 men’s SEC Championships, stands as the biggest obstacle. Ole Miss and Alabama help to form a formidable trio atop the SEC cross country landscape with Missouri battling against the likes of Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida for top-four recognition.

An uphill battle is nothing new to Anderson, but the key to achieving the Tigers lofty expectations begins with the distance runners themselves.

The women’s roster features 15 athletes, including four freshmen and three seniors. Allison Newman returns for her sophomore season as Missouri’s lone representative on any women’s cross country All-SEC Team last season with a Women’s Freshman All-SEC honor.

On the men’s side, 2021 Second Team All-SEC representatives senior Marquette Wilhite and sophomore William Sinclair will lead the Tigers.

Assistant coach Stephen Smith is entering his fourth season in the position, bringing a deeper knowledge of the roster and positive impact on the recruiting front. Smith has coached 12 All-Americans, an Olympian and 13 SEC Champions throughout his tenure as a coach for Missouri’s track and field distance and mid-distance squads, and the assistant cross country coach.

Anderson said a key to establishing success will be creating connections with athletes while utilizing the support of a coach already in place.

While the schedule has yet to be finalized and released publicly, Missouri has one event circled on its calendar.

For the first time in Missouri’s history, the Tigers will host an NCAA championship-level event in Columbia. The Midwest Regional Championships will be held at Gans Creek Cross Country Course, just one year after the location hosted the SEC Championships.

The exact date of the event will be released later, and it will mark a historic moment for Missouri. Gans Creek will host the 2025 NCAA Championships as well, so this will serve as a preview of the country’s top distance runners.

A season of intrigue and potential awaits before Missouri hosts the regional. Anderson looks forward to the opportunity to build upon the past while making the dreams of the Tigers’ future a reality.

“I certainly want my athletes to come in and to do something that they just didn’t think that they could do,” Anderson said. “I think that we have a lot to be excited about this year and it is something that we keep talking about.”