Completed Event: Women's Soccer at Oklahoma State on September 18, 2025 , Win , 1, to, 0
Final
Women's Soccer
1
at Oklahoma State
0
Photo by: Kate Benninghoff/Kansas Athletics
Jayhawks Look to Build Upon Strong Start at the Gans Creek Classic
9/24/2025 12:00:00 PM | Cross Country
LAWRENCE, Kan. - Kansas cross country is looking to continue its strong start to the 2025 season at the Gans Creek Classic on Friday, Sep. 26, at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, MO.
The Jayhawks are scheduled to compete in the Black Championships, with the men running the 8K at 8:15 a.m. and the women starting the 6K at 10:30 a.m. Kansas is also scheduled to have several runners compete in the open divisions at 11:15 a.m. and 12 p.m.
"They're super excited about getting out there," Assistant head coach Michael Whittlesey said. "They've had a good block of training, and training is fun, but you train to race. They're excited to get out there and test it."
The upcoming race will be the first time the Jayhawks have run in almost a month, with both teams' last being in action on August 30th at the Bob Timmons Classic. At that meet, the men's team placed second overall with 31 points, losing only to Oral Roberts with 29. The women's team won the event, finishing with only 17 points. Whittlesey and the Jayhawks will look to build upon their strong first race this weekend.
"On the women's side, we're hoping to continue to close our gap a little bit stronger. We ran well as a group, but we want to take that and step forward," Whittlesey said. "On the men's side, we're bringing in our top runners, which we didn't race in the last meet, so we're excited to get the whole group together."
For the women, Kansas is expected to run their top finishers from the Bob Timmons Classic with Tori Wingrove (1st), Emmah Jemutai (2nd), Kaitlyn Swartz (3rd), Mia Murray (7th), Olivia Krueger (8th), and Laya Erickson (9th) all expected to compete.
The men will turn to some of their top runners from last year, many of whom are making their season debuts. Tanner Talley, Quenton Walion, and Sawyer Schmidt are set to kick off their seasons, while Bob Timmons Classic finishers Ryo Higuchi (6th), Hobbs Campbell (8th), Parker Walion (9th) and Lenny Njoroge (10th) are scheduled to join them.
The Gans Creek Classic is filled with talent, with nine USTFCCCA-ranked men's teams and five USTFCCCA-ranked women's teams scheduled to compete in the Black Championships. Additionally, the total number of teams competing will be much higher, up from seven teams at the Bob Timmons Classic to 27 teams in the Black Championships division.
"The biggest key is getting out in the right spot. Sometimes in the bigger fields, you can get lost, so it's key that we are getting to our spots that we need to get to early on, and that we're paying attention within that race," Whittlesey said about the increased competition. "[It's key] that we're moving through the field effectively. With a larger number of teams and high-quality [opponents], sometimes you're running well, and you lose sight that you're running well, and you can move backwards. We've got to make sure that we're still attacking through the entire race."
On the men's side, Kansas, which is ranked 11th in the Midwest region, will go up against Belmont, Charleston Southern, Maine, Ohio State, Texas A&M - Corpus Christi, Toledo, UCLA and Utah Valley all of which are top 15 programs in their respective region.
For the women, the Jayhawks will compete alongside Maine, Montana State, Texas A&M - Corpus Christi, Tulsa and Central Arkansas in a very competitive field.
"It's going to be great competition at the meet this weekend… and you know, really the first full test of the season. So [we are] looking forward to rising up to the level of competition," Whittlesey concluded.
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
The races will be streamed live on ESPN+ and the SEC+ Network beginning at 8:10 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 (Twitter) account @kansastfx.
The Jayhawks are scheduled to compete in the Black Championships, with the men running the 8K at 8:15 a.m. and the women starting the 6K at 10:30 a.m. Kansas is also scheduled to have several runners compete in the open divisions at 11:15 a.m. and 12 p.m.
"They're super excited about getting out there," Assistant head coach Michael Whittlesey said. "They've had a good block of training, and training is fun, but you train to race. They're excited to get out there and test it."
The upcoming race will be the first time the Jayhawks have run in almost a month, with both teams' last being in action on August 30th at the Bob Timmons Classic. At that meet, the men's team placed second overall with 31 points, losing only to Oral Roberts with 29. The women's team won the event, finishing with only 17 points. Whittlesey and the Jayhawks will look to build upon their strong first race this weekend.
"On the women's side, we're hoping to continue to close our gap a little bit stronger. We ran well as a group, but we want to take that and step forward," Whittlesey said. "On the men's side, we're bringing in our top runners, which we didn't race in the last meet, so we're excited to get the whole group together."
For the women, Kansas is expected to run their top finishers from the Bob Timmons Classic with Tori Wingrove (1st), Emmah Jemutai (2nd), Kaitlyn Swartz (3rd), Mia Murray (7th), Olivia Krueger (8th), and Laya Erickson (9th) all expected to compete.
The men will turn to some of their top runners from last year, many of whom are making their season debuts. Tanner Talley, Quenton Walion, and Sawyer Schmidt are set to kick off their seasons, while Bob Timmons Classic finishers Ryo Higuchi (6th), Hobbs Campbell (8th), Parker Walion (9th) and Lenny Njoroge (10th) are scheduled to join them.
The Gans Creek Classic is filled with talent, with nine USTFCCCA-ranked men's teams and five USTFCCCA-ranked women's teams scheduled to compete in the Black Championships. Additionally, the total number of teams competing will be much higher, up from seven teams at the Bob Timmons Classic to 27 teams in the Black Championships division.
"The biggest key is getting out in the right spot. Sometimes in the bigger fields, you can get lost, so it's key that we are getting to our spots that we need to get to early on, and that we're paying attention within that race," Whittlesey said about the increased competition. "[It's key] that we're moving through the field effectively. With a larger number of teams and high-quality [opponents], sometimes you're running well, and you lose sight that you're running well, and you can move backwards. We've got to make sure that we're still attacking through the entire race."
On the men's side, Kansas, which is ranked 11th in the Midwest region, will go up against Belmont, Charleston Southern, Maine, Ohio State, Texas A&M - Corpus Christi, Toledo, UCLA and Utah Valley all of which are top 15 programs in their respective region.
For the women, the Jayhawks will compete alongside Maine, Montana State, Texas A&M - Corpus Christi, Tulsa and Central Arkansas in a very competitive field.
"It's going to be great competition at the meet this weekend… and you know, really the first full test of the season. So [we are] looking forward to rising up to the level of competition," Whittlesey concluded.
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
The races will be streamed live on ESPN+ and the SEC+ Network beginning at 8:10 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 (Twitter) account @kansastfx.
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
Kansas Cross Country // Rim Rock Classic // 9.29.18
Monday, October 01
Kansas Cross Country // Bob Timmons Classic // 9.1.18
Saturday, September 01
Jayhawks run at NCAA Midwest Regional // Kansas Cross Country // 11.10.17
Saturday, November 11
Jayhawks run at Big 12 Championship // Kansas Cross Country // 10.28.17
Saturday, October 28