RIO GRANDE, Ohio  – The Campbellsville University men's and women's cross country teams competed in the Mid-South Conference Championship meet Saturday morning, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.

Coach Hilary Cebulko reported that although the runners did not perform spectacularly, she was still satisfied with the results.

"We did fairly well at conference. The competition keeps getting tougher so it takes more to stay in it, but both teams put forth a good amount of effort to keep themselves in the race. I'm proud of our teams," Cebulko said.

The Tigers took off on their 8k run in brisk 40-degree weather as the group of 94 runners vied for individual and team all-conference honors. The course was relatively flat with the exception of a brutal hill that both teams had to climb twice.

Brett Pierce used the slope to his advantage as he led the men's effort, finishing in 17^th place with a time of 26:49. The second finisher for CU was Joey Hartlage in 25^th with a 27:53, and following closely were Dylan Ford (28:14) and Micheal Dowell (28:19) in 30^th and 31^st. Rounding out the Top 7 Campbellsville runners were Andrew Simmons (28:55), who crossed the finish line in 37^th, Bradley Harris (28:59) in 40^th and Wade Harris (29:28) in 43^rd.

Their performances were good enough for fourth place out of 11 teams and the defeat of, among others, Georgetown College and Lindsey Wilson College. Although none of these Tigers ran a personal best time, the top 7 will get one more chance to do so at the National Christian College Athletic Association's meet next Saturday.

Other Campbellsville Tigers completing the race were as follows:

Garrett Baker at 30:18

William Pearson at 30:47

Danny Hess at 31:03

Luke Camp at 32:03

The women's 5k race consisted of 79 runners and 11 teams. Sarah Johnson was the first to finish for the Lady Tigers in 22^nd place, with a time of 20:55. Second and third for CU were Rebekah Southwood (27^th) and Shelby Courtney (30^th) with times of 21:20 and 21:35. Following were Lauren Little (21:51), Summer Rines (21:55), and Megan Charity (22:08) in consecutive 32^nd, 33^rd, and 34^th places, as well as Natasha Janes (22:28) in 36^th. These ladies aided Campbellsville in a solid fifth-place finish out of 11 teams.

 Other Campbellsville Lady Tigers finishing the race were as follows:

Maggie Calvert at 23:12

Mallory Vest at 23:29

Jennifer Hatley at 25:38

Aside from the running awards, the MSC Athletic Conference also recognized upperclassmen who have maintained a 3.25 GPA or higher during this academic year. Campbellsville had eight runners receive this honor: four men and four women. The men receiving Academic All-MSC honors were senior Garret Baker, juniors Bradley Harris and Andrew Simmons, and sophomore Brett Pierce. The women recipients were senior Natasha Janes, junior Rebekah Southwood, and sophomores Jennifer Hatley and Sarah Johnson.

Two Campbellsville runners received yet another honor. Garrett Baker and Summer Rines were named 2012 Mid-South Conference male and female Champion of Character. The award is selected by athletic directors in the Mid-South Conference based of nominations from coaches.

The CU cross country teams will compete in one more race this season as they travel to Cedarville, Ohio for the NCCAA Cross Country Championships on November 10.