COLUMBIA, Mo. –  Mizzou cross country travels to St. Louis for the Billiken XC Invite on Friday morning, Sept. 18, at Quail Creek Golf Club.

The women's 6K starts at 8:30 a.m., followed by the men's 8K at 9:15 a.m. The Black & Gold race a field that includes host Saint Louis, Lincoln (women only), Maryville, Principia, St. Charles Community College and Webster.

Five Tigers are slated to run the women's 6K: Elissa Barnard, Natalie Barnard, Maleah Eggers, Lily Ginsberg andMorgan Yeomans. On the men's side, Joshua Allison, Joseph Bariola, Ethan Hogan, Raymond Kipkoech andEthan Lee line up for the 8K.

Both squads are ranked nationally. The women check in at No. 24 in the USTFCCCA National Coaches' Poll, while the men round out the top 30.

Both Tiger squads placed second at the Cyclone Opener in Ames, Iowa, on Sept. 4. Elijah Limo took the individual title in the men's 6K (18:05.2), with Kipkoech right behind in second (18:10.6). Monica Wanjiku led the women with a runner-up finish in the 5K (16:22.50), one of three top-five finishers from the Tigers, alongside Kobi Walker and Suzy Lecoutre.

In the SEC preseason coaches' poll, the women were picked to finish fifth and the men seventh, marking the women's best preseason ranking since 2021, after being picked seventh in 2025 and 11th in 2024.

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