Even on days she doesn’t have a cross-country meet, freshman Tori Findley wakes up racing. Her alarm blares at 5:30 a.m., and she’s usually out of her dorm room within 10 minutes. She beats the sun to 6 a.m. practice.
Findley, a Blue Springs South alum, joins Mizzou’s cross country team as the state’s reigning Gatorade cross-country athlete of the year. She is part of a recruiting class packed with in-state talent, including her roommate, former Park Hill South standout Emma Roth.
“We’ve really gotten to a point where we’ve been able to attract the top kids from Missouri or at least be in the mix,” Tigers coach Marc Burns said.