COLUMBIA, Mo. – After opening the 2026 season on the road, Mizzou cross country returns to Columbia on Friday, Sept. 25, for the eighth-annual Gans Creek Classic at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course, home of the 2026 SEC Championships.

For the third consecutive year, the Gans Creek Classic will feature both collegiate and high school competition. Friday morning begins with four collegiate races: the women's gold invite 6K at 8 a.m., the men's gold invite 8K at 9 a.m., the women's black race at 9:45 a.m. and the men's black open at 10:30 a.m.

High school competition begins Friday evening, with the JV girls' race set for 6:30 p.m., followed by the JV boys' at 7 p.m. The day concludes with the elite high school races, as the varsity girls' 5K gets underway at 7:30 p.m. and the varsity boys' 5K at 8 p.m.

The Tigers will be at full strength, with 10 runners in both the women's and men's fields. The women's 6K lineup includes: Elissa Barnard, Natalie Barnard, Rahel Broemmel, Mirriam Chepkirui, Charlotte Cullen, Maleah Eggers, Suzy Lecoutre, Kobi Walker, Monica Wanjiku and Morgan Yeomans. The men's 8K will feature: Joshua Allison, Joseph Bariola, Tyler Freiner, Ethan Hogan, Jean Kipchumba, Raymond Kipkoech, Emmanuel Kiprop, Ethan Lee, Elijah Limo and Carter Spradling.

Both squads are ranked nationally, with the women at No. 26 and the men at No. 28 in the USTFCCCA National Coaches' Poll. In the USTFCCCA Regional Poll, the men are ranked fourth and the women fifth. FloTrack released its first rankings of the season, slotting the men 15th and the women 29th.

Arkansas headlines the field on both sides, with the men ranked 16th and the women 22nd in the latest USTFCCCA National Coaches' Poll. The Razorback women are led by Oklahoma State transfer Isca Chelangat, a 2024 All-American who placed seventh at the NCAA Championships. Tennessee, Florida State, Ole Miss, Kansas, Nebraska and Illinois also opened the year ranked in their respective USTFCCCA women's regions. On the men's side, Arkansas features NCAA 10,000m bronze medalist Ernest Cheruiyot, Kansas checks in at No. 30 and Tennessee is receiving votes. The field also includes Colorado School of Mines, ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division II, and Iowa Western, the No. 1 team in the NJCAA.

The meet takes place at Mizzou's home course, which has hosted the NCAA Championships, NCAA Midwest Regional and SEC Championships. A field of 32 teams is scheduled to compete, including Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri State, Murray State, Truman State, UMSL, Drake and others.

Gans Creek serves as the home course for the University of Missouri's men's and women's cross country teams. The course officially opened on Sept. 27, 2019, with the inaugural Gans Creek Classic. Situated within a 320-acre park, the state-of-the-art facility has become a popular destination for state, regional and national cross country meets in mid-Missouri.

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