COLUMBIA - Columbia College sophomore Brianna Haller took first place Saturday in the Columbia College Show-Me State Showdown held at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course.
Haller (Fatima High School) crossed the finish line in 18:34.08, finishing 16 seconds ahead of runner-up Allika Pearson from John Brown in the field of 81 runners.
The victory is Haller's second career win in a college cross country race. Her first title came last fall in the American Midwest Conference Championships.
Haller was named the American Midwest Conference women's cross country runner of the week Monday. It's the third time in her career she has received the award.
The Cougars won the team title with 47 points, while Hannibal-LaGrange was second with 63 points.
Columbia College freshman Emma Homfeldt (Fatima High School) took 25th place with a time of 20:35.22.
William Woods sophomore Alicia Engelbrecht (Helias High School) led the Owls with a 10th-place finish in 19:24.67. Junior Harley Nale (Linn High School) was 18th in 20:10.68, while senior Ryan Esterline (Jefferson City High School) placed 31st in 20:51.26. Sophomore Elizabeth Luebbert (South Callaway High School) took 62nd in 22:11.44.
The Owls finished fourth as a team with 113 points.
Lincoln was sixth as a team with 146 points. Melissa Tyme led the Blue Tigers with a 15th-place finish in 19:57.96.
Other runners for the Blue Tigers include Kimone Campbell (22nd, 20:27.28), Danielle James (29th, 20:47.54), Jameaka Mannings (42nd, 21:26.13) and Kamoy Fagan (47th, 21:37.67).
Hannibal-LaGrange freshman Lindsey Lebel (Linn High School) came in 38th place with a time of 21:08.24, while Missouri Valley freshman Lindsey Brandt (Russellville High School) finished 65th in 22:27.62.
Columbia College finished second in the men's team standings with a score of 57 points. Sophomore Alex Krieg (Fatima High School) placed 48th out of 105 runners with a time of 28:56.07 in the men's 8K race.
William Woods won the men's title with a score of 34 points. Junior Hunter Carpenter (California High School) finished in 16th place with a time of 27:15.85.
Missouri Baptist senior Brian Jordan (School of the Osage High School) took 60th place with a time of 29:34.39. The Spartans finished ninth in the standings with 239 points.