JOPLIN, Mo. – The Central Missouri Mules and Jennies cross country teams competed at the NCAA-DII Central Regional Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 19, at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course in Joplin, Mo.
 
The Mules finished in sixth place out of 30 teams with a total time of 2:32.12, including three top-30 individual finishers in Paul Korir, Brian Mitei, and Cooper Palmer.
 
Korir, a freshman from Eldoret, Kenya was the top finisher for the Mules, crossing the finish line in 11^th place with a time of 29:37.2 while fellow freshman Brian Mitei finished the 10k race in 29:41.8 which was good enough for 13^th place overall.
 
Warrensburg, Mo. native Cooper Palmer finished the race in 27^th place with a time of 30:24.6, while sophomore Bryan O'Barr finished in 30:41.6 for 47^th place and rounding out the scoring for UCM was sophomore Delfino Juarez who finished in 97^th place with a time of 31:47.6 respectively.
 
On the women's side, the Jennies finished in a total time of 1:56.56 to finish 23^rd out of 35 teams including two finishers in the top 100.
 
Junior Risper Mengich was the top finisher for the Jennies coming in 76^th place with a time of 22:30.3 while West Plains, Mo. native McKenzie Bergman finished with a time of 22:33.0 in 82^nd place.
 
Rounding out the scoring for the Jennies was Chloee Bergman (time of 23:45.6, 143^rd place), Rylee Adams (time of 23:46.7, 145^th place), and Lilly Geelan (time of 24:20.5, 166^th place).