PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men's and women's cross country teams will travel to St. Joseph, Mo., Saturday (Nov. 7) to compete in the 2026 MIAA Championships.

The men's eight-kilometer race will set under way at 10 a.m. (CST) at Griffon Cross Country Course on the campus of Missouri Western State University, while the women's six-kilometer race will follow at 11 a.m. Parking tickets can be purchased in advance for $10 or purchased the day of the meet for $15. (Click Here to follow live results)

Team and individuals award presentations will take place following the women's race at Noon. The top 10 individuals in each race will earn first-team All-MIAA honors and athletes who place 11th through 20th will receive honorable mention All-MIAA honors.
 
The Pittsburg State women enter the 2026 MIAA Championships as the four-time defending champions. The Gorillas have won seven of the last eight MIAA women's cross country championships and lead the league with 15 team titles overall.

The Gorillas are ranked No. 10 in the most recent United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) NCAA Division II Top 30 poll. Missouri Southern State University will pose a challenge to Pitt States title aspirations. The Lady Lions enter the meet ranked No. 9 nationally. Rogers State University (No. 20) and the University of Nebraska-Kearney (No. 24) also are included in the top 30 rankings.

Seniors Paige Mullen and Hannah Gibson and junior Lorna Rae Pierce all placed among the top six runners at the 2025 MIAA Championships in Pittsburg. Mullen garnered MIAA runner-up honors with a time of 21 minutes, 13.79 seconds a year ago. She is the top returning athlete in this year's field. Gibson placed third overall a year ago, while Pierce finished in sixth place.
 
Northwest Missouri State University is the two-time defending MIAA champion on the men's side, while the Gorillas finished as the MIAA runner-up for a second straight year after claiming the conference crown in 2024. MWSU's Pau Valderrama is the top returner from last year's championship, earning a fifth-place finish with a time of 24:45.69.

Pitt State enters as the pre-meet favorite. The Gorillas are ranked No. 7 in Division II, while Washburn is No. 11 and UNK is No. 16.

Redshirt seniors Dylan Sprecker and Tyler Atkins garnered All-MIAA honors by placing sixth and ninth overall a year ago.