Warrensburg, Mo. (Oct. 25, 1999) -- The Central Missouri State University Mules and Jennies took home both team titles from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Cross Country Championships, which took place Sunday, Oct. 24, in Rolla, Mo. It's the first time that the same school won both the men's and women's crowns since Southeast Missouri State University did it in 1990.

The Mules captured their fifth straight men's MIAA title and their seventh in the 1990s. They had five of the top 12 individual finishers to total 35 points and outdistance runner-up Missouri Southern State College, which finished second with 50 points.

The Mules Vladimir Golias, a junior from Penza, Russia, was the men's individual champion as he covered the 8,000 meter course in a time of 24 minutes and 55.5 seconds. Sophomore Greg Winter (Jefferson City, Mo.) was fourth, while sophomore Paul Bennett (Notts, England) was seventh, senior Matt Lucas (Moberly, Mo.) finished 11th, and sophomore Joe Mack (Warrensburg, Mo.) was 12th.

The Jennies' championship was their first-ever MIAA title, edging Pittsburg State University by one point, 56-57. The difference in the final team standings was determined by the slimmest of margins in the individual results as the Jennies No. 5 runner, Tonia Neumann (a freshman from Fulton, Mo., who placed 19th), finished nine-tenths of a second ahead of Pittsburg State's fifth runner.

Leading the Jennies' effort was sophomore Rachel Harvey (Branson, Mo.), who finished fourth in a time of 22:19 over the 6,000 meter course.  Also for the Jennies, junior Amber Neal (Monett, Mo.) was seventh, sophomore Erica Foltz (El Dorado, Kan.) was eighth, and sophomore Carrie Riedel (Centralia, Mo.) took 18th.

CMSU Head Coach Kirk Pedersen was named the MIAA men's and women's cross country coach of the year.