PITTSBURG, Kan. – Rogers State Cross Country competed at the 2025 MIAA Cross Country Championship on a rainy Saturday morning at Four Oaks Golf Course. The women's team finished as the runner-up for the second consecutive season, while the men's team improved one spot from last year with an eighth-place finish.
"I'm really proud of the grit and determination both teams showed today," commented head coach
Matt Kennedy.
Rogers State women's cross country team secured a second-place finish at the conference meet for the second consecutive year, scoring 56 points, just one point behind host Pittsburg State. Nebraska-Kearney finished third with 71 points, followed by Northwest Missouri State with 102 points and Missouri Southern with 114. For the first time in program history, all five scorers for the women's team earned All-MIAA honors.
"On the women's side, this is one of the deepest and most competitive conferences in the country," said Kennedy. "I truly believed six different teams had a shot to win. Our women have been undervalued all season, but today they proved how good they really are. Finishing second by one point stings, but to do that in this league speaks volumes about their heart and consistency."
Junior
Amy Morefield tied the school record with the highest individual finish for the program, placing fourth in the women's 6K with a time of 21:40.30 to earn All-MIAA First Team honors. Joining Morefield on the First Team was sophomore
Kaylee Nay, who finished 10th with a personal best time of 22:08.
Brooklyn Garafola (11th),
Emily Cruz (15th) and
Jordan Wallace (16th) received All-MIAA Honorable Mention.
"Every one of our top-five finishers earned either First-Team or Honorable-Mention All-Conference honors, which is unique for our program," Kennedy added. "That speaks volumes about our balance and depth. There are a lot of great teams and coaches in this conference, and I have great respect for them."
On the men's side, Rogers State placed eighth with a score of 188. Northwest Missouri State won its second consecutive team championship with a score of 54, followed by Pittsburg State (65), Washburn (77), Missouri Southern (124) and Nebraska-Kearney (135).
"The men put together their best race of the season, and it's incredibly satisfying to see that happen at the conference championship," Kennedy stated. "They executed the race plan perfectly. Conditions were less than ideal, but they handled everything with maturity and toughness. We knew times wouldn't matter today; competitiveness and placement were what counted most."
Sophomore
Nathaneal Gibson garnered his second All-MIAA selection after finishing 13th with a time of 25:13.80 in the men's 8K. Additionally,
Cade McCall (40th),
Cohen McIntosh (46th) and
Blake Feron (50th) recorded top-50 finishes for the Hillcats.
The Hillcats will compete at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course in Joplin on Nov. 8 for the NCAA Division II Central Region Championship. The women will race at 10 a.m., followed by the men at 11 a.m.
"Considering how we raced today, I'd say this group is very excited to get back to Joplin for the regional championship in two weeks," Kennedy commented. "All of our goals are still right in front of us. From day one, our focus has been on performing our best at Regionals. The success we've had at the conference level is really just a byproduct of that preparation. Today showed that we're in a great place heading into the postseason."
WOMEN'S 6K RESULTS | 2nd of 13
Amy Morefield
4
th - 21:40.30
(All-MIAA First Team)
Kaylee Nay
10
th – 22:08.84
(All-MIAA First Team | Personal Best)
Brooklyn Garafola
11
th – 22:09.54
(All-MIAA Honorable Mention)
Emily Cruz
15
th – 22:17.86
(All-MIAA Honorable Mention | Personal Best)
Jordan Wallace
16
th – 22:19.06
(All-MIAA Honorable Mention)
Cadence Cordova
31
st – 22:49.83
Brooke Martin
52
nd – 23:25.08
Sisely Mitchell
59
th – 23:38.14
Tehya Lang
81
st – 24:52.09
Kiera Blumhof
91
st – 25:39.17
MEN'S 8K RESULTS | 8th of 12
Nathaneal Gibson
13
th - 25:13.80
(All-MIAA Honorable Mention)
Cade McCall
40
th – 26:17.08
Cohen McIntosh
46
th – 26:25.65
Blake Feron
50
th – 26:31.60
Jack Morgan
59
th – 26:41.15
Lee Davis
61
st – 26:47.08
Clint Stapleton
65
th – 26:54.96
Aidan Jimenez
66
th - 26:54.98
Nathan Hernandez
70
th – 27:02.95
(Personal Best)
