PITTSBURG -- The Pittsburg State University men's and women's cross country teams enter the 2026 campaign with MIAA Championship aspirations and beyond.

The Gorillas will make their season debuts at the Distance After Dark Meet hosted by Rogers State University Thursday (Sept. 3) at Tulsa, Okla. The women's five-kilometer race will start at 10 p.m. (CDT) at Mohawk Sports Complex, while the men's four-mile race will follow at 10:30 p.m.

Pitt State head coach Ben Barrows returns a pair of veteran squads from 2025. The Pitt State women captured their fourth straight MIAA title a year ago, while the Pitt State men placed second in the conference before racing to a program best seventh place finish at the 2024 NCAA Division II National Championships.

The Pitt State women claimed the MIAA Championship last year as the Gorillas secured their seventh conference crown in the last eight seasons (2017-19, '22-25). Nebraska-Kearney claimed the MIAA title in 2021; and MIAA squads did not compete in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Gorillas return four All-MIAA performers from last year's team in senior Paige Mullen (2nd place finish), redshirt junior Hannah Gibson (3rd place finish), junior Lorna Rae Pierce (6th place finish and redshirt senior Kaci Singer (20th place finish) as well as additional veteran competitors in redshirt senior Kelsey Bruening and redshirt juniors Phoebe Fletcher and Emily Vandaveer.

The Gorillas parlayed their MIAA Championship into a seventh trip to the NCAA Division II National Championships in the last nine years. Pitt State placed 13th overall at nationals with Mullen (10th place) and Gibson (23rd place) each securing All-America accolades.

"After winning our fourth consecutive MIAA title last fall, our women return all scorers from last year so we should be set for another great year, although I believe there will be some other strong teams in the league," Barrows said. "Highlighting our returners are All-Americans Paige Mullen and Hannah Gibson along with Lorna Rae Pierce who has also been a strong low stick for our team. I'm excited to see how our depth pieces improve as well with another year of training and experience under their belts. The women also have a great recruiting class of freshmen, a few of which I believe have potential to be top seven runners immediately. I think the women have a good shot of making some noise this cross country season."

The Pitt State men placed second at the 2025 MIAA Championships last year and the Gorillas earned their fifth straight trip to the NCAA Division II National Championships a year ago.

The Gorillas return a pair of All-MIAA performers in redshirt seniors Dylan Sprecker (6th place finish) and Tyler Atkins (9th place finish) as well as an additional group of veteran runners in redshirt seniors Jordan Kilonzo, Jason Swartzlander and Caden Uthe and redshirt junior Eli Gilmore.

The Gorillas will seek the program's third MIAA crown in six seasons in 2026. Pitt State claimed MIAA titles in 2021 and 2023. The Gorillas made their 10th all-time appearance at the NCAA-II National Championships a year ago, and the Gorillas recorded a program best seventh-place team finish in 2024.

"The men should be on their way to a very solid cross country season after last year's runner-up finish in the MIAA and qualifying to nationals for the fifth consecutive year," Barrows said. "Dylan Sprecker and Tyler Atkins are both key returners from last year who were consistently among our top runners all season long. We return some depth runners behind them along with a stellar recruiting class including several freshmen and transfers who have potential to mix it up in our top seven right away. We intend to be in the mix for an MIAA Championship once again and represent Pittsburg State well on the national stage."