April 29, 2008

COLUMBIA, Mo. - One of the best, and most heated, rivalries in the nation is Missouri versus Kansas. No matter what sport is competing, the Tigers and Jayhawks have an intense desire to beat their border rival, and the fan bases of both schools take great delight in claiming victory.

Tiger fans can now rejoice, as their school has clinched the annual MU-KU Border Showdown title for the 2007-08 season. Mizzou clinched this year's cup when the Tiger women's golf team finished higher than Kansas at the Big 12 Championships this past weekend in Stillwater, Okla., as MU placed fourth, while KU was 10th. The win by Missouri gave MU 3.0 points toward the Border Showdown standings, which pushed its running total for the year to 21.0 points, compared to 13.0 points for Kansas.

With only five guaranteed points remaining in competition between the two schools the remainder of the year, and one point maximum in potential bonus points available, the closest Kansas could get would be 21.0-19.0, should they win the remainder of the events.

This marks the first time in the six-year history of the Border Showdown that either school has won the cup in consecutive years. Prior to 2007-08, the rivals had alternated claiming the title each year, beginning with MU's 32.0-8.5 win in the inaugural year of 2002-03. The Tigers claimed a 25.0-14.0 win a year ago, as well, and now have won four of the six yearly competitions over the Jayhawks.

"We understand very clearly that our rivalry with Kansas is taken seriously here at Missouri, and that is across the board, in all sports," said MU Director of Athletics Mike Alden. "We work very hard to produce a successful athletics program on a broad-based spectrum, and I feel this is an indication that our coaches and student-athletes are representing the University well in that regard," he said. "Winning the Border Showdown cup is yet another outstanding achievement for what has been an excellent comprehensive 2007-08 season, and we aren't done yet," he said.

Head Women's Golf Coach Stephanie Priesmeyer was pleased that her squad could pull out the cup-clinching win. "We had a very good weekend, and I'm proud that our girls could help lock the cup up to stay in Columbia for another year," said Priesmeyer. "Golf is not a traditional head-to-head competitive sport, but even so, while we have to keep the primary focus on ourselves, we're always keeping an eye on Kansas to make sure we can stay ahead of them. We put three solid days together this weekend, and we were able to get it done," she said.

For a detailed look at this year's Border Showdown standings, as well as an historical look at previous years, please visit the Border Showdown page.