University of Missouri
NCAA Midwest Championship
Cross Country Preps for NCAA Midwest Regional Championship
11/13/2025 10:00:00 AM | Cross Country
The Tigers continue their postseason in Stillwater, Okla.
The men's and No. 27-ranked women's Mizzou cross country teams travel to Stillwater, Okla., to compete in the NCAA XC Midwest Regional Championship on Friday, Nov. 14, at Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course.
Elissa Barnard, Natalie Barnard, Rahel Broemmel, Mirriam Chepkirui, Charlotte Cullen, Maleah Eggers, Suzy Lecoutre, Allison Newman, Kobi Walker and Monica Wanjiku represent the women in the 6k slated for 9 a.m. On the men's side, Joshua Allison, Tyler Freiner, Ryder James, Raymond Kipkoech, Elijah Limo, Austin Popplewell, Drew Rogers and Carter Spradling race in the 10k at 10 a.m.
The Midwest Region features some of the nation's best, including the top-two nationally-ranked teams on the men's side in host Oklahoma State and Iowa State, respectively, as well as No. 20 Tulsa and No. 21 Oklahoma. The women's race will be equally as competitive, with No. 6 Iowa State, No. 9 Oklahoma State, No. 11 Northwestern and the No. 27 Tigers.
The top two finishing teams from each of the nine regions automatically qualify for the NCAA XC National Championship at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia on Nov. 22. The NCAA selects an additional 14 at-large teams to compete in a team field of 32.
In addition, the league picks 38 student-athletes to run in the championship individually. The first four regional finishers not from an automatic qualifying or at-large team also claim an automatic bid to the national championship.
At last year's NCAA Midwest Regional Championship, the men took ninth while the women finished 11th. Rogers led the men's squad, placing 16th and crossing the 10k finish line at 29:45.09, his personal best. Broemmel notched 28th in 20:35.31, the women's seventh-fastest 6k time of the year.
Mizzou continues its postseason after securing a pair of fifth-place results at the SEC Championship. Wanjiku paved the way for the women, tallying sixth with a 6k finish in 20:02.2, collecting All-SEC First Team and Freshman Team accolades. Rogers paced the men in the 8k with a result of 23:29.6, also earning All-SEC First Team accolades after being named to the Second Team in 2024.
The Tigers are seeking their first trip as a team to the NCAA XC Championship race since the women did so in 2016, while the men's most recent time running in the national championship event was 2000. The last time both programs advanced to the NCAA XC National Championship in the same year was also 2000, when the men finished in 27th and the women claimed 16th.
The most recent MU individual to qualify was Marquette Harrison for the men in 2022 and Karissa Schweizer for the women in 2017. Schweizer claimed the program's first individual national championship the year prior.
NCAA XC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Tickets for the 2025 NCAA XC National Championship race, set for Nov. 22 with the women racing at 9:20 a.m. and the men at 10:10 a.m. at Gans Creek Cross Country Course, are on sale now. General admission tickets are $23, and parking options range from $6-$18.
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For all the latest on Mizzou Cross Country and Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the teams on Facebook, Instagram and X (MizzouTFXC).
Players Mentioned
