The Missouri men’s and women’s cross-country teams both had a similar fate on Friday at the SEC Cross-Country Championships at the Indian Pines Golf Course in Auburn, Alabama: They both came in fifth place. The men finished fifth in the 12 team field, while the women out of 14 teams.

The men, as usual, were paced by juniors Thomas George and Kieran Wood, who came in 10th and 12th place overall in the 8K, with times of 23:11.45 and 23:11.80.

Coach Marc Burns spoke of the need for individuals to step up right below George and Wood in a phone interview earlier in the week. He got his wish on Friday. Freshman Martin Prodanov finished 34th, while Evan Schulte came in 38th and Justin Loquercio finished 41st. This more balanced attack of having five runners in the top 50 overall helped the Tigers to a fifth place finish.

The women’s side has enjoyed more balanced performances all season long, and Friday was no exception. Freshman Tori Findley, making her postseason debut, led the Tigers on the women’s side with a 13th place finish and a time of 19:51.15 in the 6K, while fellow freshmen Reilly Revord and Mikayla Reed came in 20th and 28th. Junior Melissa Menghini finished 35th. These four top 40 finishers propelled the women to a strong fifth place finish, only five points behind fourth place Georgia.

“We are very proud of both teams and the way they competed today,” Burns said in a press release.

Looking ahead, the Tigers will travel to the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships in Peoria, Illinois, on Friday, Nov. 9. From there, the Tigers will aim to qualify as a team for the NCAA National Championships, which will be held on Saturday, Nov. 17.

_Edited by Bennett Durando | bdurando@themaneater.com_