ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Both the Pittsburg State University men's and women's cross country teams came up just short in their bids to capture conference crowns at the 2026 MIAA Championships Saturday (Nov. 7).

Redshirt senior Dylan Sprecker raced to the individual medalist honors in the men's eight-kilometer in 24 minutes, 19.1 seconds to lead the Gorillas to a second-place finish in the team standings.
Senior Paige Mullen and junior Lorna Rae Pierce placed third and fourth, respectively, in the women's six-kilometer race to pace Pitt State to a third-place finish in the women's standings.

Washburn University edged Pitt State in the men's standings, 48 to 51, to claim the MIAA Championship. The Gorillas finished as the MIAA runner-up for a third consecutive season.

Pitt State's five scored runners all placed within the top 20 individuals and each earned All-MIAA honors. Freshman John Langill (24:57.6) and redshirt senior Tyler Atkins (24:58.2) finished eighth and ninth overall, while freshman Brody Deniston placed 15^th (25:04.2) and redshirt junior Nick Kolonzo finished 18^th (25:09.2).

Missouri Southern State University edged Rogers State University and Pitt State for the women's title Saturday. The Lady Lions posted a low score of 60 points, while the Hillcats finished with 69 and the Gorillas with 72.

Mullen finished the race in 20:53.7, 21 seconds behind MSSU's Ruth Chemutai, who claimed individual medalist honors. Pierce finished in 20:59.1, while Gibson was clocked in 21:26.0.

Redshirt junior Phoebe Fletcher finished 22^nd overall in 22:25.6, while redshirt senior Kelsey Bruening (22:40.5) rounded out the Gorillas scored positions in 34^th place.