Setting the Scene
- The SWOSU Cross Country team will travel to Joplin, Missouri to compete in the Southern Stampede on Saturday
- The Bulldogs last competed in the Southern Stampede in 2015, coming away with a 20th place finish
- The Southern Stampede will pit the Bulldogs against 28 other Division II opponents including four schools from the GAC
 
The Race
- The Southern Stampede will be ran on the Tom Rutledge Cross Country course and will be 5000 meters long
- The course has hosted several championship events including the 1999, 2007, 2012, 2015 and 2017 NCAA Division II Championships
- This will be the 29th annual Southern Stampede, which is one the largest cross country meets in the Midwest
 
The Coach
SWOSU: Shane Brookshire (5th season)
- Brookshire will enter is fifth year at the helm of the cross country team and third leading the track and field program
- He has led his teams to five top five finishes along with three straight appearances to the Central Region Championships
- Brookshire has coached five all-conference runners during his time at SWOSU
 
Coaches Corner
"We had several athletes last week that were racing for the first time in over a year and there were some nerves getting to the starting line. This week we will be going into the race with more focus. This will be a preview for the Regional Championship meet at the end of the season and we will be racing against some of the best competition in our Region. Eliza Cummins is going to run a strong 5k and I'm looking for the others to work together during the race to bring our pack closer to Eliza."
 
-Head Coach Shane Brookshire
 
Last Time Out
- SWOSU is coming off a 6th place finish last week at the Western Oklahoma Showcase
- Eliza Cummins led the Bulldogs last week clocking in the team's fastest time at 16:33 good enough for 18th place
- The next four runners for SWOSU all finished within seconds of each other as Josilyn Schenk came in at 17:23 Bailey Richardson followed at 17:34 Yvette Tavarez clocked in at 17:45 and Haley Mandakunis finished at a time of 17:53
- Rounding out the scoring for SWOSU was Brianna Kirchgessner who clocked a time of 18:15, Kinley Davis recording a time of 18:25 and Itzel Flores who completed the race in 20:34
- The Bulldogs ran in a tight pack having just four minutes separate their first and last finishers
 
Looking Ahead
- The Bulldogs will be on the course again Saturday, October 6, when they compete at the OBU Invite in Shawnee, Okla.