NCAA Championships Host Missouri Showcases Opener At Gans Creek; No. 1 Iowa State Men Win Big On Home Course; Northwestern Women Perfect Against No. 14 Oklahoma State

By Keenan Gray of DyeStat

Photo by Missouri Athletics

The 2025 NCAA cross country season began Friday morning across the country, including the first of four meets held at this year's site for the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships in Columbia, Mo.

The Missouri men and women swept both team races at the Mizzou XC Opener at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course. The men scored 26 points, defeating Saint Louis by 19 points. The women scored 19 points, handling No. 21 Arkansas by 23 points.

Drew Rogers, All-SEC second team last fall, led the Tigers over the 5,000 meters course in a winning effort of 14 minutes, 48.1 seconds. Joshua Allison (14:56.0, 5th), Tyler Freiner (15:01.4, 6th), Raymond Kipkoech (15:14.4, 11th) and Declan Tunney (15:16.9, 15th) were in the Missouri top five.

Sergio Del Barrio of Oregon, third in the Big Ten steeplechase final in the spring, led the No. 9 Ducks to a third-place team finish, running 14:54.0 to finish third. 

Missouri's Suzy Lecoutre pulled away from Arkansas' Josphine Mwaura in the last kilometer to win the women's 5,000 race by 10 seconds in 17:04.2.

The Tigers put seven in the top 10, including all five scorers in the top six. Kobi Walker (17:15.7) and Rahel Broemmel (17:15.7) finished side-by-side for third and fourth, Natalie Barnard finished fifth in 17:19.1 and Charlotte Cullen rounded out the top five in sixth in 17:34.1.

Mwaura, second in 17:14.1, led three Razorback women in the top 10. Bradley Weimer finished seventh in 17:35.3 and Sanu Jallow finished 10th in 17:58.

Iowa State Men Win In Debut As Preseason No. 1

Just three days after the program was awarded its first preseason No. 1 ranking in the USTFCCCA National Coaches' Poll, the Iowa State men opened their season on the Iowa State Cross Country Course in Ames, winning the Cyclone Preview over Iowa Central Community College, 22-46.

No member of last year's runner-up team from the national meet ran, but the Cyclones still put four of their five scorers in the top seven, led by Allen Bonnessen in second in 17:42.8 for the 6,000 race.

Iowa Central, No. 3 in the USTFCCCA preseason poll for NJCAA program's, were guided by Soufyane Laaziz in eighth, running 18:14.1. 

Daniel Rotich, eighth at the NJCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships last fall for Crowder, won in 17:40.6 while running unattached. 

The Iowa State women were nearly perfect, scoring 16 points to beat Northern Iowa by 40. Betty Kipkore won the women's 5,000 in 16:44.3, leading the Cyclones.

Northwestern Scores 15 At Cowboy Preview

RESULTS

Ava Criniti guided the Northwestern women to a perfect 15 points at the Cowboy Preview, beating host and No. 14 Oklahoma State by 26 points at the Greiner Family Cross Country Course in Stillwater.

Criniti, an All-Midwest Region honoree, covered the 3-kilometer course in a winning time of 10:13.1, punctuating the Wildcats' team effort. Ava Earl, another All-Midwest Region performer last fall, finished second in 10:15.5. Anna Hightower finished third in 10:17.1, Skye Ellis finished fourth in 10:21.1 and Holly Smith finished fifth in 10:25.4 in Northwestern's top five.

Victoria Lagat crossed the finish line first for the Cowgirls in seventh in 10:28.7.

Oklahoma's Leah Jeruto, eighth in the NCAA steeplechase final in the spring, finished 14th in 10:37.8.

The No. 3 Cowboy men won a tight race over No. 22 Oklahoma, 29-32.

Ronald Ngetich (14:43.7) and Evans Biwott (14:46.6) finished first and second, respectively, in the 5-kilometer race for the Sooners. However, the Cowboys placed six in the top 10, ultimately putting them ahead of their in-state rival.

Jacob Deacon guided the Cowboys in 15:05.1 to finish third.