ST. JOSEPH, MO – The Northwest Missouri men made Bearcat history at the 2024 MIAA Cross Country Championships, capturing the program’s first MIAA title since 1972. The Bearcats were led by Grant Bradley who was crowned the league’s individual champion with a record-setting performance at the Griffon Cross Country Course.
 
All 12 MIAA men’s cross country teams traveled to St. Joseph, Mo., for the 2024 MIAA Cross Country Championships hosted on Saturday, October 26, on the campus of Missouri Western State.
 
For the first time in 52 years, Northwest Missouri men claimed the MIAA cross country crown. A trio of Bearcats placed in the championship’s top five as Northwest totaled 47 points for a 29-point lead. The title is the program’s second overall.
 
Defending MIAA champion Pittsburg State finished as this year’s runner-up with 76 points with three top ten performances. Nebraska Kearney placed third with 99 points, Washburn placed fourth with 139 points and Central Missouri concluded the men’s championship’s top five with 142 points.
 
Grant Bradley delivered a historic individual performance at the 2024 MIAA Championships, becoming only the second Bearcat ever to claim the league’s individual title. The Bearcat senior from Aurora, Colo., led the field of 106 in the men’s eight-kilometer race with a time of 23:21.05. His time not only set a new school record, but also currently ranks sixth in Division II and second in the Central Region. Bradley's remarkable run will also go down in MIAA history as the second-fastest 8k finish in the championship’s long history.
 
Bradley wasn't alone in leading the Bearcats to victory. Nate Mueller took third with a time of 23:36.02 while Drew Atkins closely followed, securing fourth place in 23:38.88.
 
Leading the Ichabods to a fourth-place finish was Donald Kibet, the 2024 MIAA runner-up with a time of 23:27.23. Kibet’s championship run was the fastest 8k race time in Washburn school history. The junior from Eldoret, Kenya outran his previous personal best time by 47 seconds.
 
Below is a list of the final team standings and the All-MIAA performers from the 2024 MIAA Men’s Cross Country Championships. The top ten runners earn First Team All-MIAA honors while finishers 11-20 receive All-MIAA Honorable Mentions honors. To view the final results from the 2024 MIAA Cross Country Championships, click here.

MIAA teams will now prepare for the 2024 NCAA Division II Central Regional Championships, hosted by Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Mo., on November 9. 


TEAM SCORES
1st       Northwest Missouri – 47 points
2nd      Pittsburg State – 79 points
3rd       Nebraska Kearney – 99 points
4th       Washburn – 139 points
5th       Central Missouri – 142 points
6th       Missouri Southern – 149 points
7th       Missouri Western – 151 points
8th       Fort Hays State – 153 points
9th       Rogers State – 213 points
10th     Emporia State – 301 points
11th     Newman – 313 points
12th     Arkansas-For Smith – 376 points
 
FIRST TEAM ALL-MIAA
1st        Grant Bradley (23:21.05) – NW
2nd       David Kibet (23:27.23) – WU
3rd        Nate Mueller (23:36.02) – NW
4th        Drew Atkins (23:38.88) – NW
5th        Mason Strader (23:49.98) – PSU
6th        Matthew Oglesby (23:52.36) – PSU
7th        Cosmas Kiprop (24:01.90) – UCM
8th        Dylan Sprecker (24:06.98) – PSU
9th        Pau Valderrama (24:12.04) – MWSU
10th      Jaden Deaton (24:12.15) – MSSU
 
ALL-MIAA HONORABLE MENTION
11th      Kaden Cole (24:13.59) – MSSU
12th      Payton Davis (24:13.96) – UNK
13th      Cooper Palmer (24:14.50) – UCM
14th      Sam Lueders (24:15.89) – UNK
15th      Jaret Pfizenmaier (24:16.34) – FHSU
16th      Christian Darrah (24:17.45) – FHSU
17th      Brett Schoenhofer (24:24.13) – UNK
18th      Riley Witt (24:24.96) – NW
19th      Wimachmorr Gilo (24:25.30) – MWSU
20th      Nick Abdalla (24:26.38) – UNK