Missouri Southern State University Women's Cross Country

Vavra has seen several Lions achieve national recognition for their efforts. She has led Southern to seven MIAA Cross Country Championships (1998, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2014), as well as the conference indoor track & field title in 2004, 2008, the outdoor title in 2008 and 2009 and an NCAA Regional Title in Cross Country in three straight years (2007-2009). Vavra also coached the Lions to the rare MIAA Triple Crown where her 2007 Cross Country, as well as the 2008 Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field teams swept the MIAA titles in each sport. Vavra has earned nine MIAA Coach of the Year awards: five in cross country (four in a row) and two each in indoor and outdoor track and field. During her tenure, Vavra has coached 10 cross country All-Americans, 32 cross country All-Region performers, and four MIAA cross country champions.  She has also coached two track & field national champions and 35 All-Americans.  Under Vavra, Missouri Southern's track and cross country athletes have also had their share of success in the classroom, as more than 100 have earned Academic All-MIAA recognition, and nearly 20 have been named to Academic All-District and All-America teams. The 2015 Lions saw All-American performances in both the indoor and outdoor seasons, while 11 Lions earned All-MIAA honors in the indoor season, including two individual champions. Emily Harris was the runner up in the NCAA Mile Championships. The Lions followed that performance with four individuals earning All-MIAA honors in six events, including Kindra Emberton, who won the 1,500 meters. Emberton and Melanie Bower went on to earn All-American honors at the outdoor national meet.  The 2014 Missouri Southern women's track and field team was young, but that didn't stop the Lions from performing at their normal high standard. The team finished second at the MIAA Indoor Track and Field Championships as 11 different individuals earned 14 All-MIAA honors. The team had six named All-Region. Amber White, Brittani Reagan, Kaitlyn Belisle, Kylie Cornman, Kindra Emberton and Kaylee Morgan were all named All-Region. White, Cornman, Emberton, Morgan, Reagan and Whitney Hardy were all selected to compete in the Indoor National Championships in Winston Salem, NC. Morgan earned All-American honors in the long jump on day one, while White picked up All-American honors in the 400m in day two. The team carried the success into the outdoor season where the Lions finished fourth at the Outdoor meet. Four Lions earned All-MIAA honors in six events with Reagan and Belisle earning multiple All-MIAA honors, while Hardy and Cornman picked up hardware, as well. Six athletes were named All-Region as White, Reagan, Belile, Morgan and Cornman were all repeat winners from the indoor season. Hardy earned All-Region honors, as well. The Lions qualified seven for the NCAA Outdoor National Championships with Reagan, Morgan, Hardy, Cornman, Emberton, White, and Belisle all making the trip to Allendale, Mich. Cornman picked up All-American status in the shot put, placing third in the event. In 2012-13, Vavra's teams captured the 2012 MIAA cross country championship, while placing 20th at the NCAA Division II National Championships held in Joplin. Kylie Cornman picked up All-American status in the indoor season, while Whitney Hardy, Kaylee Morgan and Brittni Reagan were All-American's in the outdoor season.  The 2011-12 cross-country and track & field season saw the Lions crown two All-Americans over all three seasons. Junior Marlee Tegenkamp took 30th at the 2011 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, while senior Nicole Green became an All-American in the shot put in both the indoor and outdoor track & field seasons, her third and fourth All-American honors of her career after earning AA honors in the shot put in the 2010 and 2011 outdoor seasons. The 2010 Lions indoor track & field season saw the run of success continue as the team crowned six All-Americans in six different events on their way to taking 10thplace overall as a team at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. Their run of good fortune carried over into the spring as the Lions crowned four more All-Americans in five different events culminating in being named USTFCCCA fifth best womens team in Division II Cross Country & Track & Field for the 2009-2010 year. The 2009 Lions cross country team proved to be the most successful Southern squad ever, as the team went un-defeated to a division II opponent up until the National Championships where the Lions placed third. Southern won its third-straight Regional Title and was ranked as high as second nationally in the coaches' poll. Junior Ashley Siler and senior Kimi Shank placed third and fourth, respectively at the national race, as both Courtney Waltbillig and Ashley Bunch finished in the top 25, earning All-American honors, as well. Both Vavra and Shank were named Regional Coach and Runner of the Year. The senior class accomplished something truly special as they won their fourth-straight MIAA Championship. 2006-2009 saw the Missouri Southern women dominate the track and field and cross country scene in the MIAA, as well as on a national stage. The Lions won four-straight MIAA cross country titles, the 2008-09 outdoor track and field titles, as well as the 2008 indoor title. In 2008, Jessica Selby-Tallman wrapped up her record-setting career at Southern by claiming her 12 MIAA championships (8 in shot put, 1 in weight throw and three in hammer), and was the 2008 Division II National Champion in the outdoor hammer. She was undefeated in both the MIAA indoor and outdoor shot put, winning eight titles and is the MSSU record holder in the indoor and outdoor shot put, as well as outdoor hammer. In 2006, Vavra won her third MIAA Cross Country title, second in a row, as sophomore Kimi Shank finished second, and a total of four runners earned All-MIAA status. For her efforts, Vavra was named the MIAA Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year for the second year in a row and was named the Regional Coach of the Year. She had four runners named All-Region after the team won the school's first ever NCAA Regional title and went on to finish 13th at the NCAA National Meet that Southern hosted. Her team was ranked first in the South Central Region for most of the season and finished the year ranked 13th nationally.  In 2004, Vavra's indoor squad captured the school's first ever MIAA indoor championship and, for her efforts, she was named South Central Region Indoor Coach of the Year and MIAA Indoor Coach of the Year. After leading the cross country squad to the '98 championship, Vavra was named 1998 MIAA Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year. Vavra's 2003 women's cross country squad earned one of the best seasons in school history up to that point, finishing second at the MIAA Championships and second in the South Central Region en route to the team's first-ever national championships appearance.   Vavra spent 14 years as boys and girls cross country and girls track coach at Carthage (Mo.) High School.  Southern alumni and friends also remember Vavra from her days as a Southern student-athlete, as she was all-conference in basketball and in track, where she competed in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and hurdles.  A 1993 inductee into the Missouri Southern Athletics Hall of Fame, Vavra graduated cum laude from Missouri Southern in 1980 with a bachelor's degree in physical education and health, and from Pittsburg State University in 1983 with a master's degree in physical education.  In addition to her coaching duties, she is also an instructor of kinesiology. Patty Vavra Head Coach Now in her 23rd year as head women's track and field and cross country coach, Patty Vavra has seen several Lions achieve national recognition for their efforts. She has led Southern to seven MIAA Cross Country Championships (1998, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2014), as well as the conference indoor track & field title in 2004, 2008, the outdoor title in 2008 and 2009 and an NCAA Regional Title in Cross Country in three straight years (2007-2009). Vavra also coached the Lions to the rare MIAA Triple Crown where her 2007 Cross Country, as well as the 2008 Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field teams swept the MIAA titles in each sport. Vavra has earned nine MIAA Coach of the Year awards: five in cross country (four in a row) and two each in indoor and outdoor track and field. During her tenure, Vavra has coached 10 cross country All-Americans, 32 cross country All-Region performers, and four MIAA cross country champions.  She has also coached two track & field national champions and 35 All-Americans.  Under Vavra, Missouri Southern's track and cross country athletes have also had their share of success in the classroom, as more than 100 have earned Academic All-MIAA recognition, and nearly 20 have been named to Academic All-District and All-America teams. The 2015 Lions saw All-American performances in both the indoor and outdoor seasons, while 11 Lions earned All-MIAA honors in the indoor season, including two individual champions. Emily Harris was the runner up in the NCAA Mile Championships. The Lions followed that performance with four individuals earning All-MIAA honors in six events, including Kindra Emberton, who won the 1,500 meters. Emberton and Melanie Bower went on to earn All-American honors at the outdoor national meet.  The 2014 Missouri Southern women's track and field team was young, but that didn't stop the Lions from performing at their normal high standard. The team finished second at the MIAA Indoor Track and Field Championships as 11 different individuals earned 14 All-MIAA honors. The team had six named All-Region. Amber White, Brittani Reagan, Kaitlyn Belisle, Kylie Cornman, Kindra Emberton and Kaylee Morgan were all named All-Region. White, Cornman, Emberton, Morgan, Reagan and Whitney Hardy were all selected to compete in the Indoor National Championships in Winston Salem, NC. Morgan earned All-American honors in the long jump on day one, while White picked up All-American honors in the 400m in day two. The team carried the success into the outdoor season where the Lions finished fourth at the Outdoor meet. Four Lions earned All-MIAA honors in six events with Reagan and Belisle earning multiple All-MIAA honors, while Hardy and Cornman picked up hardware, as well. Six athletes were named All-Region as White, Reagan, Belile, Morgan and Cornman were all repeat winners from the indoor season. Hardy earned All-Region honors, as well. The Lions qualified seven for the NCAA Outdoor National Championships with Reagan, Morgan, Hardy, Cornman, Emberton, White, and Belisle all making the trip to Allendale, Mich. Cornman picked up All-American status in the shot put, placing third in the event. In 2012-13, Vavra's teams captured the 2012 MIAA cross country championship, while placing 20th at the NCAA Division II National Championships held in Joplin. Kylie Cornman picked up All-American status in the indoor season, while Whitney Hardy, Kaylee Morgan and Brittni Reagan were All-American's in the outdoor season.  The 2011-12 cross-country and track & field season saw the Lions crown two All-Americans over all three seasons. Junior Marlee Tegenkamp took 30th at the 2011 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, while senior Nicole Green became an All-American in the shot put in both the indoor and outdoor track & field seasons, her third and fourth All-American honors of her career after earning AA honors in the shot put in the 2010 and 2011 outdoor seasons. The 2010 Lions indoor track & field season saw the run of success continue as the team crowned six All-Americans in six different events on their way to taking 10thplace overall as a team at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. Their run of good fortune carried over into the spring as the Lions crowned four more All-Americans in five different events culminating in being named USTFCCCA fifth best womens team in Division II Cross Country & Track & Field for the 2009-2010 year. The 2009 Lions cross country team proved to be the most successful Southern squad ever, as the team went un-defeated to a division II opponent up until the National Championships where the Lions placed third. Southern won its third-straight Regional Title and was ranked as high as second nationally in the coaches' poll. Junior Ashley Siler and senior Kimi Shank placed third and fourth, respectively at the national race, as both Courtney Waltbillig and Ashley Bunch finished in the top 25, earning All-American honors, as well. Both Vavra and Shank were named Regional Coach and Runner of the Year. The senior class accomplished something truly special as they won their fourth-straight MIAA Championship. 2006-2009 saw the Missouri Southern women dominate the track and field and cross country scene in the MIAA, as well as on a national stage. The Lions won four-straight MIAA cross country titles, the 2008-09 outdoor track and field titles, as well as the 2008 indoor title. In 2008, Jessica Selby-Tallman wrapped up her record-setting career at Southern by claiming her 12 MIAA championships (8 in shot put, 1 in weight throw and three in hammer), and was the 2008 Division II National Champion in the outdoor hammer. She was undefeated in both the MIAA indoor and outdoor shot put, winning eight titles and is the MSSU record holder in the indoor and outdoor shot put, as well as outdoor hammer. In 2006, Vavra won her third MIAA Cross Country title, second in a row, as sophomore Kimi Shank finished second, and a total of four runners earned All-MIAA status. For her efforts, Vavra was named the MIAA Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year for the second year in a row and was named the Regional Coach of the Year. She had four runners named All-Region after the team won the school's first ever NCAA Regional title and went on to finish 13th at the NCAA National Meet that Southern hosted. Her team was ranked first in the South Central Region for most of the season and finished the year ranked 13th nationally.  In 2004, Vavra's indoor squad captured the school's first ever MIAA indoor championship and, for her efforts, she was named South Central Region Indoor Coach of the Year and MIAA Indoor Coach of the Year. After leading the cross country squad to the '98 championship, Vavra was named 1998 MIAA Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year. Vavra's 2003 women's cross country squad earned one of the best seasons in school history up to that point, finishing second at the MIAA Championships and second in the South Central Region en route to the team's first-ever national championships appearance.   Vavra spent 14 years as boys and girls cross country and girls track coach at Carthage (Mo.) High School.  Southern alumni and friends also remember Vavra from her days as a Southern student-athlete, as she was all-conference in basketball and in track, where she competed in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and hurdles.  A 1993 inductee into the Missouri Southern Athletics Hall of Fame, Vavra graduated cum laude from Missouri Southern in 1980 with a bachelor's degree in physical education and health, and from Pittsburg State University in 1983 with a master's degree in physical education.  In addition to her coaching duties, she is also an instructor of kinesiology.

Brian Allen serves as Associate Head Coach / Recruiting Coordinator for the Missouri Southern State University track & field programs. He enters his 12th season (2024-25) coaching the throwing events. Since joining the MSSU staff in 2013, Allen has coached the Lion throwers to 91 All-MIAA performances, including 35 conference champions, Six(Current) MIAA Championship meet records and 31 MSSU school records broken. Along with success at the conference level, Allen has seen 169 provisional marks, 98 national qualifiers, 73 All-American performances and Eight National titles at the NCAA level. Allen’s throwers have 14 entries on the NCAA Division II Indoor and Outdoor All-Time Top 25 lists.   He helped guide the Missouri Southern Men to the 2016 MIAA Outdoor Conference Championship – the first team title in school history – as well as the 2020 MIAA Indoor Conference Championship and the Women’s 2021 Outdoor Conference Championship team title.   Allen also has helped lead the Missouri Southern Men to capture two 4th place team finishes at the 2023 NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships - a program first for the men - and the 2024 NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championships.   Missouri Southern throwers have been honored with 6 Regional Field Athlete of the Year awards and Rajindra Campbell was named the Division II Men’s Outdoor National Field Athlete of the Year in 2021. Allen was honored as the NCAA Division II Men’s Outdoor National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2024. He also has earned Men’s or Women’s Regional Assistant Coach of the Year recognition four times (2019, 2021, 2023, 2024). Allen has continued coaching former Lion National Champion, Rajindra Campbell, in the professional ranks. His post collegiate career has seen the following results: Personal Best 22.22m (Jamaican National Record, 7th farthest throw in 2023) First Jamaican over 22 meters (Furthest left-handed Shot Putter in history), World Championships Qualifier (Budapest, (HUN)2023), World Championships Final Qualifier (Finished 12th). World Indoor Championships Qualifier (Glasgow(i)2024). Currently Ranked 6th in the world (2024) - won Bronze(22.15m) at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.   Allen came to Southern after helping coach the throwers for two seasons at the University of Central Missouri, while also training post collegiately in the Hammer Throw. Prior to Central Missouri, Allen spent a season coaching at his alma mater, Pittsburg State University. During his tenure as an assistant coach, he helped coach 22 All-MIAA throwers, including six conference champions and seeing six school records broken. He also helped coach 11 All-American throwers, including a national champion in the shot put and a runner up in the discus.    A very decorated student-athlete and member of the Hall of Fame at Pittsburg State University. Allen was a four-year letter winner for the Gorillas, including serving as a team captain in both his junior and senior campaigns. He was a nine-time All-American and was the 2009 national runner up in the shot put. During his career, he was a 17-time All-MIAA thrower and he picked up conference titles in the hammer throw, two in the discus and one in the shot put. In 2010, Allen was the South Central Region Field Athlete of the Year as voted upon by the coaches in the region. He still holds the Pittsburg State school record in the weight throw. He graduated from Pittsburg State in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems. Recently, Allen was inducted into the MIAA Hall of Fame class of 2022. Allen has his USTFCCA Strength and Conditioning Specialist Certification and USATF Level One Coaches Certification.  Brian and his wife Sarah live in Joplin along with their three children, Bree, Oscar and Quinn.

Jason Francis serves as Assistant Coach Men's and Women's Track and Field/Academic Coordinator for the Missouri Southern State University track & field programs. He enters his 8th season (2024-25) coaching the Sprints, Hurdles, High Jump, & Combined Events.   Since joining the MSSU staff in 2017, Francis has coached the Lion Sprints/Hurdles/High Jump/Combined Events to 53 All-MIAA performances, including 18 conference champions, one (Current) MIAA Championship meet records, and 59 MSSU school records broken. Along with success at the conference level, Francis has seen 47 national qualifiers and 30 All-American performances. Francis has coached six athletes to entries on the NCAA Division II Indoor and Outdoor All-Time Top 25 lists.   He helped guide the Missouri Southern Men to the 2020 MIAA Indoor Conference Championship and the Women's 2021 Outdoor Conference Championship team title.   Francis also helped lead the Missouri Southern Men to two fourth-place team finishes at the 2023 NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships—a program first for the men—and the 2024 NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championships. In 2020, Francis was honored as the NCAA Women's Regional Assistant Coach of the Year.    He spent five years as the head women's track and field coach at the University of Dayton, where he helped lead the team to two separate second-place finishes in the Atlantic 10.  His student-athletes won 21 Atlantic 10 Individual Championships, and Francis had six athletes qualify for the NCAA East Prelims. The Flyers earned the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honor five times and had eight All-Academic Individuals. The team GPA at Dayton was 3.48 during his tenure.   Prior to Dayton, Francis was the assistant track and field coach at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for seven years. He focused on sprints and hurdles, as well as coaching the jumps, 800m, and combined events. While there, the team won seven straight men's Indoor and Outdoor Horizon League Championships and had two NCAA National Qualifiers with 25 NCAA National First Round qualifiers. Altogether, the men's and women's teams at Milwaukee won 22 Horizon League Championships, and Francis helped guide the team to over 150 individual Horizon Titles. The Milwaukee men's team still holds the third-longest Division I Conference Championship streak with 16 straight titles.    Prior to Milwaukee, Francis spent one year as an assistant pole-vault coach at Lewis University, helping coach two Division II National Champions and six Division II All-Americans.    Francis' first coaching stop came at his alma mater, Indiana State, where he spent two years as an assistant coach with the Sycamores, helping to coach the men's and women's pole vault.    A double graduate of Indiana State, Francis earned a BS degree in sports science and a MA in exercise science. As a track and field athlete at Indiana State, Francis was a four-time All-MVC honoree and was a champion in the decathlon, also helping ISU to a team title during his playing tenure.  Francis has his USTFCCA Strength and Conditioning Specialist Certification, USATF Level One Coaches Certification, USATF Level 2 Coaches Certifications in Jumps, Sprints, Hurdles & Relays, Combined Events, Throws and has completed the USATF Instructor Training Course.    Jason and his wife Stephanie live in Joplin along with her two children, Byler and Brogan.

Jamie Burnham is in his 27th year as a full-time coach with the Lions cross country and track & field teams. He is in his seventh year leading the men's cross country team and fifth leading the women. In total, Burnham has more than 30 years of service to Missouri Southern. Burnham was also inducted into the MSSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021.  Burnham has helped to mentor what has become one of the most dominating dynasties of distance programs the MIAA has seen. Burnham has won four MIAA Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year honors and has helped the Lions take home the title in that race as both the head coach and an assistant in five of the last seven years, and has been on staff for all 13 of the Lions' MIAA Men's Cross Country Titles.  2021 saw the Lions finish second in the MIAA Championships, but that didn't stop Burnham from helping to mentor the individual MIAA Champion in Ryan Riddle. Riddle went on to win the NCAA Central Region Individual Title as well and the Lions took second in that meet en route to a 13th place finish at the National Championships. At that race, JP Rutledge placed sixth individually as he and Riddle earned All-American honors.  The success didn't stop at the end of the cross country season for Burnham and the Lions' distance runners. Riddle went on to win both the 3k and the 5k at the MIAA Indoor Championships and earned All-American honors in the 3k at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships. In the out door season, the Lions saw Riddle win both the 5k and the 10k, while Gidieon Kimutai and JP Rutledge also earned All-MIAA honors in the 10k as the trio finished 1-2-3 in the event.  During the 2020-21 season, Burnham helped the Lions to another year of continued success. Burnham's distance runners missed out on a cross country season due to its cancellation during the Covid-19 pandemic, but that didn't stop the group from showing its dominance in the rest of the year. Burnham coached two All-American performances as Ryan Riddle picked up honors in the mile during the indoor season, while the distance medley relay team also earned honors.  During the MIAA Championships, the Lions had six All-MIAA honors in the indoor season and seven during the outdoor season. Riddle was the MIAA High Point winner in the indoor season, while winning both the mile and the 3k. Gidieon Kimutai won the 5k on the men's side while Kelie Henderson won the 3k on the women's side. In the outdoor season, Kimutai won the 10k, while Riddle won the 1,500m.  During the 2019 season the Southern men won all but two races, finishing second at the highly-competitive Lewis University Crossover and finishing 14th at the NCAA Division II National Championships. The men were ranked sixth nationally going into the final meet of the season where sophomore Gidieon Kimutai nearly won the individual title, finishing fifth for his second-straight All-American performance.  The men had four runners place in the top eight at the MIAA Championships, while six total men earned All-MIAA honors. The Lions followed up the momentum at the Regional where the team and Kimutai repeated their championships from a season prior and five runners were named All-Region.  The 2019 Southern women started strong with a win at Southwest Baptist and a third-place finish at the Southern Stampede. The Lions finished third at the MIAA Championships and eighth at the NCAA Central Region Championships. Kelie Henderson finished sixth and Julianna Determan was eighth at the MIAA meet where both earned All-MIAA honors. At the Regional, Henderson and Determan both earned All-Region honors. In total, the Lions had eight earn All-MIAA honors and seven were named All-Region between the two teams. The success didn't stop on the course, though, as the Lions had both teams earn the Team Academic Award from the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, while four runners earned All-Academic status. The men carried a cumulative 3.25 GPA, while the women posted a 3.41 mark.  During the indoor track and field season, Burnham coached Ryan Riddle to an MIAA Championship in the mile, while Kimutai won the 3k. On the women's side, Henderson was second in the mile as three Lions finished in the top-eight of the race.  The 2018 season saw Burnham win another MIAA Cross Country Coach of the Year award as the men won the MIAA and Regional Championships en route to an 11th-place finish nationally. The Lions saw Kimutai capture the MIAA and Regional individual titles, while finishing fourth at Nationals. In total, the Lions picked up eight All-MIAA selections between both the men and women, and five All-Region honors.  The 2017 season saw the Lions once again a national force on the cross country scene. The team swept its first two meets at Southwest Baptist and Saint Louis University as both the men and women took home titles. The Southern men finished third at the MIAA Championships, but rebounded to place second at the NCAA Regional Championships, earning a trip to the National Championship for the fifth time in the last six years. Between the two teams, the Lions had five All-MIAA honorees and two All-Region selections.  The 2016 season saw Burnham help the Lions to the MIAA Men's Cross Country Championship, the tenth in the last 16 years, while coaching Vincent Kiprop to four individual NCAA Division II National Championships. Kiprop won the cross country, indoor 5k, and outdoor 5k and 10k national titles. He was also named the National Athlete of the Year during both the cross country and outdoor seasons, while repeating as the National Scholar-Athlete of the Year during the cross country season.  The 2015 season saw Burnham help mentor freshman Vincent Kiprop into an MIAA and NCAA Regional Champion and eventual NCAA Runner Up. Kiprop became the highest-ever finisher at an NCAA Regional and National Championship for the men's program.  In 2014, Burnham helped coach the men's and women's cross country teams to the MIAA Championships as each team took home the title. He helped coach Eric Schott to an All-American finish in the 2015 Outdoor 10k, while also helping Kindra Emberton to an All-American finish in the outdoor 800m, setting a school record in the event. In the indoor season, he helped Emily Harris to a runner-up finish and school record in the mile, earning All-American honors in the process.  The 2009 Southern women's cross country team won its fourth-straight MIAA cross country title, its third-straight NCAA Division II South Central Regional title and finished the season with a third-place finish at the national meet in Evansville, Indiana. The cross country team had six All-Region selections and four All-American selections that year where the team set MIAA and NCAA regional records for the fewest points scored (18) at each event. Also assisting with the track and field teams, Burham helped the women to the MIAA Triple Crown in 2007-08 (Championships in Cross Country, as well as indoor and outdoor Track and Field). All together, Burnham has been part of Missouri Southern staffs that have won 28 MIAA Team Championships since 1998.  An accomplished runner himself, Burnham was a five-time All-American for Missouri Baptist, and in 1987 was national runner-up in the 10,000-meter run. He holds Missouri Baptist school records in the 5,000-meter run (14 minutes, 3.00 seconds), 10,000 (29:30.00), and marathon (two hours, 26.00 minutes). He is a member of the Missouri Baptist Athletics Hall of Fame.  Burnham also has had his share of success since completing his collegiate eligibility. A native of Carl Junction, Mo., he competed in the Dallas White Rock Marathon and New York City Ekiden Marathon Relay in 1987, finishing third and 25th, respectively, and in 1988 was 50th in the Los Angeles Marathon before competing in the United States Olympic Trials Marathon.