Dominant doesn’t begin to describe Missy Buttry-Rock’s (nee Buttry) career at Wartburg College. By the time Buttry-Rock stepped off the track for the last time as a member of the Knights, she already made her claim as to the best female runner in Division III history. Buttry-Rock nabbed 18 All-America honors (eight outdoor, six indoor, four cross country) and 14 NCAA titles (11 track, three cross country). Those three cross-country titles were special as Buttry-Rock became the first woman in NCAA history to win three consecutive individual crowns (2002-04). She still holds three Division III records: Indoor mile (4:43.92), indoor 1500m (4:24.95) and outdoor 5000m (15:51.23). No one has come closer than 30 seconds of Buttry-Rock’s mark in the latter. Post-collegiately, Buttry-Rock shined brightest as a member of the USA World Cross Country team in 2004 and 2005. In 2005, she won a bronze medal at the World Cross Country Championships.
