Although he didn't medal, Marshall senior Alex Jones' final appearance at the state meet was the best of his four. [Click to enlarge]

JEFFERSON CITY -- For the first time since 2000, the Marshall cross country team was shut out of the medal awards Saturday at the MSHSAA Class 3 Championships in Jefferson City.

That's not to say both of the Owls' entries, senior Alex Jones and junior Lindie Arends, didn't run well.

Jones had his highest finish in four appearances at the state meet, 53rd out of 171 runners, and improved his time by 15.27 seconds with a 17:48.91. Jones was part of the Marshall team which took third place in 2003 and '04.

Arends was 104th out of 166 entries with a 22:07.54, faster than her qualifying time and only 15 seconds off her personal record -- a nearly unheard-of feat on the rugged Oak Hills Golf Course route. Arends' time was 21 seconds faster than that recorded by senior Madison Marshman on her first try in '04.

Potosi defended its title, taking first place for the fourth time in five years, as seniors Josh Thebeau (15:37.91) and Josh Mathis came in 1-2 -- reversing their order from a year ago. Junior Brittani Johnson (19:01.20) repeated as the girls' winner, leading West Plains to its fourth championship since 2000 and 11th overall -- by a mere 11 points over District 7 champion Notre Dame de Sion of Kansas City.