ST. JOSEPH, MO –  Missouri Southern State University won its first women’s cross country championship since 2014 with a first-place finish at the 2026 MIAA Cross Country Championships. Southern’s Ruth Chemutai claimed the individual title with the women’s fastest winning six-kilometer time in MIAA Championship history, crossing the finish line in 20:32.0.
 
All 13 MIAA women’s cross country programs met at the Griffon Cross Country Course in St. Joseph, Missouri, on Saturday, November 7, for the Association’s 2026 postseason championship meet, hosted by Northwest Missouri State University.
 
Missouri Southern had all five of its scoring runners place in the top 20 to win the 2026 team title with 60 points. The Lions were led by freshman Ruth Chemutai, who won the women’s 6k race in an MIAA-record-breaking time of 20:32.0. The championship’s previous winning 6k record time was 20:39.56, set by Northwest Missouri’s Caroline Cunningham at the Association’s 2022 championships.  
 
Rogers State totaled 69 points to finish as the women’s 2026 runner-up. The Hillcats were led by senior Amy Morefield in fifth place (21:14.2) and senior Brooklyn Garagola in 10th place (21:30.1).
 
Pittsburg State, the four-time defending MIAA champion, placed third with 71 team points. The Gorillas had three runners place in the top 10, led by senior Paige Mullen in third place (20:53.7), and championship’s “A Game” Scholar-Athlete award winner, junior Lorna Rae Pierce, in fourth place (20:59.1). Junior Hannah Gibson also earned a top 10 finish in ninth place (21:26.0).
 
Newman’s senior Katie Hughes was the individual runner-up, crossing the finish line 11.5 seconds behind Chemutai in 20:43.5.
 
The top ten finishers in the championship earn All-MIAA First Team honors while runners who placed 11-20 receive All-MIAA Honorable Mention honors. The All-MIAA performers from the 2026 MIAA Men’s Championship are listed below.
 
MIAA teams will now prepare for the 2026 NCAA Division II Central Region Championships, scheduled for Saturday, November 21, at Yankton Trail Park in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
     
ALL-MIAA FIRST TEAM
1. Ruth Chemutai, Missouri Southern – 20:32.0
2. Katie Hughes, Newman – 20:43.5
3. Paige Mullen, Pittsburg State – 20:53.7
4. Lorna Rae Pierce, Pittsburg State – 20:59.1
5. Amy Morefield, Rogers State – 21:14.4
6. Abigail Burger, Nebraska Kearney – 21:14.8
7. Kassidy Stuckey, Nebraska Kearney – 21:20.2
8. Olivia Bakker, Northwest Missouri – 21:25.5
9. Hannah Gibson, Pittsburg State – 21:26.0
10. Brooklyn Garafola, Rogers State – 21:30.1
 
ALL-MIAA HONORABLE MENTION
11. Viola Johanson, Missouri Southern – 21:44.8
12. Lilah Genel, Missouri Southern – 21:46.3
13. Kaylee Nay, Rogers State – 21:56.7
14. Nelly Puente, Washburn – 21:58.0
15. Amaya Grant, Rogers State – 21:59.4
16. Kyla Weems, Missouri Southern – 22:01.1
17. Lily Brewer, Nebraska Kearney – 22:03.7
18. Emma Weiner, Fort Hays State – 22:05.1
19. Marianna Bizon, Central Missouri – 22:06.1
20. Abbey Brackenbury, Missouri Southern – 22:19.2