Mizzou sophomore Natalie Barnard runs in the Gans Creek Classic on Sept. 25 at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia. Mizzou cross country opens the 2026 season on Sept. 4 in Ames, Iowa.
Mizzou sophomore Natalie Barnard runs in the Gans Creek Classic on Sept. 25 at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia. Mizzou cross country opens the 2026 season on Sept. 4 in Ames, Iowa.
Kenzie Ripe/Missourian
Mizzou sophomore Natalie Barnard runs in the Gans Creek Classic on Sept. 25 at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia. Mizzou cross country opens the 2026 season on Sept. 4 in Ames, Iowa.
Just about two weeks after students from all around the world gathered back in Columbia for the start of the school year, the 2026 cross country season is set to get underway. Mizzou opens its season at the Iowa State Cyclone Opener meet starting at 8 a.m. next Friday in Ames, Iowa.
There is a lot of buzz surrounding this year for both the men’s and women’s squads.
Wednesday, the Southeastern Conference released a coach-voted preseason poll, where the coaches ranked all of the other conference teams excluding their own.
The women’s team was voted to finish fifth in the conference out of 16 teams. It has trended upwards in their last three rankings, picked 11th in 2024 and seventh last year.
The men’s team received a seventh-place predicted finish out of 14 squads, three spots lower than last year's fourth place ranking.
In total, Mizzou has 18 runners returning from the 2025 roster. However, both teams brought in fresh faces heading into the new season. The men's team added incoming freshman Jean Kipchumba, Emmanuel Kiprop and Brivon Koech. Joyce Jepkorir and Faith Ngoraa are the new freshmen additions on the women's team.
The Tigers also added three transfers. Sisters Tanise and Terrica Thornton-Fillyaw joined the team from Goucher University, a private Division III located in Towson, Maryland.
Most notably, Missouri added Evyn Humphrey, the 2025 American Conference Women’s Runner of the Year at Tulsa. She finished in eighth place at the NCAA Midwest Regional, qualifying her for the NCAA Championship. She also earned a second place finish at Mizzou’s own Gans Creek Classic last year.
Mizzou is hosting two meets at home this year, compared to four from a season ago. It has opened the season at home for the past five years, but is instead starting 2026 on the road.
This is because of the fact that Iowa State will also be the site of the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship on Nov. 13. Coach Kyle Levermore stated in an interview that he wanted the team to get the preparation needed for the postseason.
While it's the first meet of the season, the Tigers will place an extra emphasis on learning the course. It will be important for the athletes to figure out where the best spots are to kick, when they might want to conserve energy and how it feels to compete on the course.
The Tigers have just one home regular-season meet during the eighth annual Gans Creek Classic on Friday, Sept. 25. This meet shares a similar importance as the season opener, because it is another preview for a postseason meet.
Missouri's other home meet is the 2026 SEC Cross Country Championship on Friday, Oct. 30. This is the second time that Missouri has hosted the league championship. The Tigers first hosted the conference championship in 2021.
Levermore’s squads look to build after a successful 2025 campaign where the women placed 28th at the NCAA Championship. This marked the program’s 13th appearance on the national stage. The men finished seventh at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship but failed to qualify for the NCAA Championship.
Mizzou cross country opens the season at the Iowa State Cyclone Opener next Friday in Ames, Iowa.
The Tigers will be without their left tackle, who is entering his third season as a starter for MU. Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz announced the news in a press conference Saturday.
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