KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Missouri Southern State University hosted the 2023 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships Nov. 18 at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course in Joplin, Missouri. This year, the MIAA was represented by four teams and six individual athletes.
For a student-athlete to earn All-America honors, they had to finish the course within the top 40 individually. The MIAA had five men achieve that standard this year.
Women’s Team Results:
Pittsburg State: 18th (487 points)
Pittsburg State led the MIAA women with an 18th place finish in the women’s 6-kilometer national championship race. Gorillas Junior Kate Dawson led Pitt State with a 101st-place finish in a time of 21:38.8. Among participants from the MIAA, Dawson was the third-fastest finisher. Pittsburg State sat at No. 18 in the national rankings prior to championships and matched that in their performance.
Missouri Southern: 28th (616 points)
The Lions entered the meet ranked 29th in the nation. Led by Lilah Genel, who finished 122nd (21:50.4), Missouri Southern improved their pre-championship rankings to finish 28th out of 34 teams.
Women’s Individual Results:
Regan Hodsden – Fort Hays State: 51st (20:54.5)
En route to setting a personal best on a 6k course, junior Regan Hodsden posted the best finish of all athletes from the MIAA. She was just 10 seconds shy of achieving her second-consecutive All-America honors.
Patricia Koma-Limo – Newman: 62nd (21:04.4)
Patricia Koma-Limo made her nationals debut and left with a personal best like Hodsden. The senior had the second-fastest finish among all MIAA athletes in the field.
Men’s Team Results:
Pittsburg State: 11th (370 points)
Pittsburg State also led the league in the men’s team standings, finishing with at an MIAA-best 11th place. The Gorillas improved their No. 16 ranking preceding the national meet to finish 11th. Last season, Pittsburg State found itself 20th at the end of the 10-kilometer race. Garnering the team’s sole All-American finish, senior Matthew Oglesby earned his second honors in as many years after crossing the line in 19th with a time of 29:51.8.
Northwest Missouri: 24th (582 points)
Northwest entered the meet as No. 19 in the national standings, but fell to 24th in the national meet. Sophomore Drew Atkins earned his first All-American medal and led the Bearcats, finishing 34th in a time of 30:15.5.
Men’s Individual Results:
Gideon Kimutai – Missouri Southern: 14th (29:46.3)
Gideon Kimutai, a two-time MIAA individual champion, led all MIAA competitors on the national stage with a top-15 finish. The senior Lion was Assocaition’s the fastest finisher in the meet and earned his third All-America honors of his career.
David Kibet – Washburn: 22nd (29:57.2)
After finishing outside of the top 50 at the national meet last year, senior David Kibet earned his first All-America honors this year with a 22nd-place finish.
Donald Kibet – Washburn: 28th (30:09.2)
Finishing a few spots behind his fellow Ichabod, sophomore Donald Kibet concluded his NCAA debut with All-America honors.
For the final results of the 2023 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, click here.
To see the full list of this year’s All-America recipients, click here.
