CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Hillcat cross country teams will compete Saturday in the 2025 NCAA Division II Central Region Championship at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course in Joplin, Missouri. The women's 6K race is scheduled for 10 a.m., followed by the men's 10K at 11:15 a.m.
 
The top three teams from both the women's and men's divisions will automatically qualify for the 2025 NCAA Division II National Championships, which will take place in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Nov. 22. In addition, 10 at-large berths will be allocated among the eight regions, with the complete national fields for both genders to be announced next week.

WOMEN 6K INFORMATION
The Women's 6K Championship race is set to begin at 10 a.m. The Hillcats lineup features Cadence Cordova (21:51.7), Emily Cruz (22:17.86), Brooklyn Garafola (21:45.9), Brooke Martin (23:20.9), Sisely Mitchell (22:18.4), Amy Morefield (21:36.7), Kaylee Nay (22:08.84) and Jordan Wallace (21:45.9).
 
Heading into the race, six teams from the Central Region are ranked nationally by the USTFCCCA. Winona State, the favorite in the race, holds the highest ranking at 14th. Pittsburg State is ranked 17th, followed by Rogers State at 18th and Nebraska-Kearney at 19th. Minnesota State is in 25th place, while Northwest Missouri State is 28th and Missouri Southern rounds out the list at 30th.
 
Rogers State tied its highest regional ranking on Oct. 28, coming in third in the latest USTFCCCA Central Region standings. The team climbed four spots following a historic performance at the MIAA Championships. Winona State, which secured the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) title, and Pittsburg State, which captured the MIAA championship by just one point, are the top two teams in the Central Region heading into the weekend. Nebraska-Kearney and Minnesota State complete the top five. For the complete list, visit 2025 NCAA DII Women's Cross Country Regional Rankings – Week 6 ::: USTFCCCA.

HISTORY FOR WOMEN'S XC AT THE CENTRAL REGIONAL
Since joining the NCAA in 2016, the Hillcats have achieved four top-10 finishes at the NCAA Central Regional – all of which have been consecutive since 2021 under the leadership of head coach Matt Kennedy.
 
Last year, the Hillcats recorded a program-best fifth-place finish with 137 points in the women's 6K. Katie Byrd placed 10th, and Wallace finished 22nd, both earning all-region honors. Cordova set a personal best with a time of 21:51.68, finishing in 26th place. Ashley Riggenbach also achieved a personal best, clocking in at 21:59.40 for 36th place. Rayna Kucharyski came in 43rd with a personal best of 22:08.49, while Kaylee Nay finished 60th with a time of 22:30.77. Sisely Mitchell completed the scoring for the team by placing 69th with a time of 22:39.57.
 
SEASON REVIEW
This season, Rogers State has emerged as a national contender in Women's Division II Cross Country, achieving a ranking as high as No. 16 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association national standings and third (twice) in the regional rankings. The Hillcats recorded first-place finishes at the Distance After Dark on Sept. 4 and the Golden Eagle Invitational on Oct. 11, and they secured a runner-up position at the MIAA Championship on Oct. 25, finishing just one point shy of the top spot. Additionally, they placed third at the MSSU Southern Stampede on Sept. 20, competing primarily with their 'B' team runners, which took place at the site of the NCAA Division II Regional Championships.
 
Morefield, a transfer from the University of Tulsa, has made a significant impact on the RSU women's cross country team. The junior became the program's first champion at the Distance After Dark race and achieved a program-best fourth-place finish at the MIAA Championship, earning All-MIAA First Team honors. Morefield was named MIAA Athlete of the Week for her performance at the Mohawk Sports Complex and also finished fourth at the MSSU Southern Stampede and won the Golden Eagle Invitational. The native of Fairfield, Texas, will be one to keep an eye on this weekend in Joplin.
 
Nay earned All-First Team honors following her remarkable 10th-place finish at the MIAA Championships, completing the race in a personal-best time of 22:08.9 in Pittsburg, Kansas. The sophomore from La Grange, Kentucky native also secured fifth place at the Golden Eagle Invite and ninth at the Distance After Dark races.
 
Fresh off earning an All-MIAA Honorable Mention at the MIAA Championships, Wallace aims to secure her second all-region accolade. The sophomore from Fort Worth, Texas, also achieved a fifth-place finish at the Distance After Dark and a second-place finish at the Golden Eagle Invitational this season.
 
Garafola, a junior from Owasso, Oklahoma, is an athlete to watch. She set a personal best in the 6K at the Golden Eagle Invitational, finishing fourth with a time of 22:09.9, and secured sixth place at the Distance After Dark race. Additionally, she earned All-MIAA Honorable Mention status with an 11th-place finish at the MIAA Championships.
 
Other key runners to watch include Cadence Cordova, an All-MIAA Honorable Mention selection in 2024, along with Sisely Mitchell and Emily Cruz, who received All-MIAA Honorable Mention honors after finishing 15th at the conference championships this year.

MEN'S 10K INFORMATION
The men's 10K Championship race will begin at 11 a.m. The Hillcats lineup includes the following runners: Lee Davis (PR N/A), Blake Feron (31:20.8), Nathaneal Gibson (31:47.5), Tanner Jenks (PR N/A), Cade McCall (32:44.4), Cohen McIntosh (PR N/A), Jack Morgan (PR N/A) and Clint Stapleton (PR N/A).
 
As the race approaches, five teams from the Central Region are nationally ranked by the USTFCCCA. MIAA champion Northwest Missouri State is ranked seventh, followed by Pittsburg State at 10th, Washburn at 14th, GAC champion East Central at 19th and NSIC champion Augustana at 27th. This ranking order reflects the latest NCAA Division II Men's Cross Country Central Region standings.
 
HISTORY FOR MEN'S XC AT THE CENTRAL REGIONAL
Since their entry into the NCAA in 2016, the Hillcats have achieved one top-10 finish at the NCAA Central Regional, which qualified them for their first appearance in the NCAA Championship in 2017. RSU Hall of Famer Baylor Harvey, the first Hillcat to be named an All-American, finished in 10th place and advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championship for the second consecutive year. The team ultimately earned an at-large bid and finished 26th at the NCAA Championships in Evansville, Indiana.
 
In 2024, the Hillcats secured 15th place in the 10k race, accumulating a total of 396 points. Gibson led RSU with a personal best of 31:47.41, finishing in 45th place. Tyler Colvin closely followed in 50th place, also setting a personal best with a time of 31:51.71. McCall finished 90th in 32:44.40. Kyle Ginn and Jonathan Mendez both achieved personal bests, finishing in 108th place with times of 32:57.25. Casey Little took 135th place with a personal best of 33:45.46. Rounding out the scoring for the team, Feron finished in 166th place at 34:41.37.
 
SEASON REVIEW
In the 2025 campaign, the men's team has achieved three top-five finishes while undergoing a rebuilding phase with a youthful roster. The season commenced with a third-place finish at the Distance After Dark race on Sept. 4, followed by two fourth-place finishes at the 37th Annual Chile Pepper Festival on Oct. 4 and the Golden Eagle Invitational on Oct. 11. Additionally, the Hillcats improved their standing from the 2024 MIAA Championships, finishing eighth this season with 188 points last time out at Four Oaks Golf Course in Pittsburg, Kansas.
 
Gibson has had a strong showing for the Hillcats this season. The sophomore from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, native made history as the first male runner from the team to win the Distance After Dark race. Additionally, he earned a spot as a two-time All-MIAA Honorable Mention with his impressive 13th-place finish at the conference race. Gibson also achieved a third-place finish at the Golden Eagle Invitational. This will be his second career 10K race after finishing 45^th at the regional in 2024.
 
McCall aims to improve from a 90th-place finish from last season. He is coming off an impressive showing at the MIAA Championships, where he finished second on the team with a 40^th-place finish.
 
Feron, a senior from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, will compete in his final regional race from the Red and Navy. He opened the season with a 15th-place finish at the Distance After Dark and finished 40th at the Chile Pepper Festival. In his last outing, he placed 50th at the MIAA Championships.
 
McIntosh, who finished 46th at the MIAA Championships, along with teammates Davis, Jenks, Morgan and Stapleton, will compete in their first career 10K races at Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course.

LOOKING AHEAD
The 2025 season will conclude up north at the NCAA Division II Championships on Nov. 22 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, at the Wayne E. Dannehl National Cross Country Course. The women's 6K race is scheduled for 10 a.m., followed by the men's 10K at 11:15 a.m.