Kansas Cross Country to Compete in NCAA Midwest Regional

Friday, November 14

Stillwater, Okla.

Men: 10:00 AM | Women: 9:00 AM

University of Kansas

NCAA Midwest Regional

Paul Ngasharr, Raegan Kibet, and Tanner Talley

Photo by: Kansas Athletics

Kansas Cross Country to Compete in NCAA Midwest Regional

11/12/2025 3:30:00 PM | Cross Country

Live Results 10K Map 6K Map Regional Information

LAWRENCE, Kan. - Kansas cross country is scheduled to compete in the NCAA Midwest Regional this Friday, November 14th, at the Greiner Family Cross Country Course in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The women are slated to start the 6K race at 9 a.m., while the men's 10K race is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. CT.

Last time out, Kansas hosted a slew of nationally ranked teams to Rim Rock Farm for the Big 12 Championship, where the men's team had a strong fifth-place finish and the women's team finished 11th. Emmah Jemutai was the top finisher for the Jayhawks, placing 25th, while Reagan Kibet and Paul Ngasharr tied for 26th/27th place to lead the men.

Kansas will now turn its attention to the NCAA Midwest Regional for a chance to qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championship in Columbia, Mo. on Nov. 22. To do so, the Jayhawks will have to take on many of the same teams that had success at the Big 12 Championships.

"I don't think there's any nerves about it, because they know that we're a lot stronger than we were a month ago, and so they're excited about going out and testing themselves," Kansas assistant head cross country coach Michael Whittlesey said.

The Jayhawks will go up against eight nationally ranked teams, with four on the men's side and four on the women's side. Oklahoma State won the men's Big 12 Championship decisively and placed fourth on the women's side, serves as the host for the NCAA Midwest Regional.

On the men's side, Kansas moved up one spot and is currently ranked ninth in the Midwest region according to USTFCCCA. The four nationally ranked teams competing against them are #1 Oklahoma State, #2 Iowa State, #20 Tulsa and #21 Oklahoma.

The women's team is currently unranked in the Midwest region but will face nationally ranked #6 Iowa State, #8 Oklahoma State, #11 Northwestern, and #27 Missouri.

A notable change in the NCAA Midwest Regional compared to the regular season is the men's team running a 10K instead of the 8K. Kansas, however, feels prepared to step up to the challenge.

"The men's team is really excited about getting out. They know that we're coming along at the right time of the season. We're increasing the distance, going to the 10k, but they're pretty excited about going out there and continuing to improve our performance beyond what we did at the Big 12 Championships. They're excited with how they ran as a team, and are looking forward to taking that next step." Whittlesey said.

The Jayhawks are expected to travel their top finishers from the Big 12 Championships, with Emmah Jemutai (25th), Kaitlyn Swartz (71st), Mia Murray (91st), Naomi Hunter (111th), Abby O'Leary (118th) and Bethany Druse (128th) all expected to travel.

On the men's side, Reagan Kibet (26th), Paul Ngasharr (27th), Tanner Talley (35th), Ryo Higuchi (45th), Quenton Walion (54th), Parker Walion (56th), Andrew Schumacher (59th) and Sawyer Schmidt (65th) are expected to travel to Stillwater.

Kansas will be seeking its first team NCAA Championships qualification since 2015, when the women's team qualified and placed 27th. The men are seeking their first championship berth since 2006, when the men finished 20th nationally.

Lona Latema and Chandler Gibbens were the last individual Jayhawks to compete at the meet, finishing 62nd and 77th, respectively, in 2023.

"There will be a couple extra teams that we haven't faced yet in Loyola and Tulsa and Oklahoma, but the course is very challenging." Whittlesey said when asked about the competition, "We've been practicing on hills all year because of running on both our course, hosting the Big 12 Championships, and Oklahoma State's course being the Regional site. So, we feel pretty prepared for those."

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
The races will be streamed live on ESPN+ with coverage beginning at 9:00 a.m. Live results will be available throughout the day via PrimeTime Timing. Fans can stay current with results by following the official Kansas Track & Field and Cross Country X account @kansastfx.