Team Members
L-R: Scott Laneman, Norm Kellar, Joe Lackner, Mike Vanatta, Head Coach Fred Binggeli, Art Waddle, Mike Byrne, Joe Leuchtmann
1984 Men's Cross Country Team - NCAA Division II Champions
Talent combined with a big-time work ethic led the 1984 Southeast Missouri State men's cross country team to the NCAA Division II national championship. The national championship team was unusual because all but one of its members hailed from Missouri. The only non-Missourian on the team was Mike Vanatta, who won the 1984 individual national title. Not only did the then-Indians prove to be the best in Division II, they also fared well against solid Division I competition. Southeast routinely finished ahead of many Division I squads during meets, including placing second in the university division at the 19-team Notre Dame Invitational. The Indians finished only seven points behind Notre Dame. The 1984 Indians capped their magical season by easily winning the national title at Mississippi College in Clinton, Miss. Southeast, which placed three runners in the top-10, scored 87 points to finish well ahead of Edinboro's 129. The 1984 cross country team was the first squad to go into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
