KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Rogers State Head Women's Cross Country Coach Matt Kennedy has been named MIAA Coach of the Year, the league announced on Wednesday.
 
In his fifth season on the Hill, Kennedy led the Hillcat women to a runner-up finish in the 2024 MIAA Women's Cross Country Championship, hosted by Missouri Western State University on Saturday, October 26 in St. Joseph, Mo. The second-place finish is RSU's best finish at the MIAA championship since joining the league in 2019.
 
The Hillcats totaled 70 team points in the 6k championship race – 15 points behind the league's champion, Pittsburg State. Rogers State was the only women's program to have all five scoring runners finish in the championship's top 20.
 
RSU is currently ranked fifth in the Central Region and No. 22 nationally and is in strong contention to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II National Championships.
 
Kennedy and the Hillcats will now prepare for the NCAA Division II Central Region Championship on Nov. 9 in Joplin, Mo. where they will look to lock-up an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II National Championships.