By Jayson Henderson

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The K-State men’s and women’s cross country teams began their season on Saturday, August 31st, with strong showings at the Bob Timmons Classic at Rim Rock Farm. The women’s team secured second place with 41 points, while the men’s team finished third with 62 points, narrowly missing second place by two points to Oral Roberts. Kansas swept both the men’s and women’s team titles.

On the women’s side, junior Grace Meyer led the Wildcats with a runner-up finish in the 5k, posting a time of 18:06.2. Freshman Christine Jerono and junior Cecilia Fisher also placed in the top 10, finishing 9th and 10th, respectively. Freshmen Bree Newport and Gracie Jacobs finished 12th and 16th in their first collegiate race, rounding out a strong team effort.

The men’s team was led by senior Tommy Hazen, who finished 4th in the 6k with a personal best time of 18:43.8. Freshmen Peyton Willbanks and Lucas Holdren, along with senior Alex Gutierrez, all placed in the top 20, helping the Wildcats to their third-place finish.

Head Coach Kate Bucknam expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, noting the contributions from both the upperclassmen and the freshmen. “Overall, I thought it was a great start. We had a lot of young runners today, and it was encouraging to see them step up,” Bucknam said.

K-State will return to action on September 27th at the Gans Creek Invitational in Columbia, Missouri.