University of Missouri
Pre-National Invitational
Cross Country Opens Postseason with SEC Championship
10/30/2025 10:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Mizzou’s men’s and women’s teams rank third nationally, respectively, among conference opponents in the most recent polls.
Mizzou cross country opens its postseason in Knoxville, Tenn., with the Southeastern Conference Championship on Friday, October 31, at the Cherokee Farm Cross Country Course. The meet will be televised on the SEC Network.
Joshua Allison, Louie Endres, Tyler Freiner, Ryder James, Raymond Kipkoech, Elijah Limo, Austin Popplewell, Drew Rogers and Carter Spradling represent the Black & Gold in the 8k slated for 9:08 a.m. On the women's side, Elissa Barnard, Natalie Barnard, Rahel Broemmel, Mirriam Chepkirui, Charlotte Cullen, Maleah Eggers, Suzy Lecoutre, Pheline Mining, Allison Newman, Kobi Walker and Monica Wanjiku compete in the 6k at 9:53 a.m.
Mizzou enters the contest with both teams nationally ranked — the men at No. 22 and the women at No. 23 — joining Alabama as the only other SEC school with both men and women currently ranked.
"We are excited for the opportunity in Knoxville this weekend," cross country head coach Kyle Levermore said. "The regular season was productive, not only from a results perspective, but also provided good information and feedback to prepare for the postseason. Training and racing have been consistent, and I always remind the team that confidence comes from consistent preparation. This league is loaded with talent, we respect how good everyone is, and are ready for a battle on Friday."
The Tigers seek to claim their first SEC Championship title for both the men's and women's teams. Both squads have taken home third place twice, most recently with the men in 2021 and the women in 2016.
The men's highest individual finish was fourth place by Kieran Wood in 2020, crossing the line of the five-mile run in 23:37.2. The women have two first-place finishes in the books, with Karissa Schweizer recording a 20:10.5 for the 6k in 2016 and 19:36.3 the following year.
The Tigers earned head-to-head victories over numerous conference opponents throughout the regular season. On the women's side, Mizzou topped Arkansas at both the Mizzou XC Opener and Pre-National Invitational, while also defeating Tennessee at all three home meets. The Tigers added wins over Alabama, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma at Gans Creek, and finished ahead of Kentucky, Mississippi State, Texas, Florida, Ole Miss and Georgia at Pre-Nationals.
On the men's side, Mizzou bested Ole Miss and Florida in both the Gans Creek Classic and Pre-National Invitational, while also finishing ahead of Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee at Pre-Nationals.
At the 2024 SEC Championship, Rogers led the men to a fifth-place result, recording a personal record of 22:54.1 in the 8k to take eleventh. Broemmel also notched a personal best of 19:397 in the 6k, tallying 13th individually and leading the women to 13th overall. Both student-athletes earned spots on the All-SEC Second Team for their performances.
The SEC Championship will name the top seven finishers to the All-SEC First Team and the next eight through 15 to All-SEC Second Team honors. Since joining the conference in 2012, Missouri has had two athletes receive first-team accolades and 12 second-team recipients.
The men's and women's teams capped off the regular season with impressive performances at the Pre-National Invitational, posting second and third-place finishes. Rogers clocked in a 23:24.7 in the 8k to secure 12th, with Wanjiku leading the women by recording a 19:47.9 to take ninth, the second-best women's 6k time this season.
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Players Mentioned
