K-State Prepped for Cross Country Big 12 Championship

The K-State men's and women's cross country teams begin the postseason on Friday (Nov. 1) with the Big 12 Championship in Waco, Texas at Cottonwood Golf Course.

The men's 8k will start the day at 10 a.m. CT, with the women's 6k following at 11 a.m. Both races will be streamed on ESPN+.

This will be the first Championship race with the expanded 16-team Big 12 Conference, with additions Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah in their first season. The men's field will now include 13 teams, with the exception of UCF, Utah and West Virginia.

"I'm really excited to getting our team down to Waco and competing in arguably the very best cross country conference in the country," head coach Kate Bucknam said, "This is not a play-around conference, we must be dialed in and compete with a championship mindset. If we are going to be a contender for a championship in the future, this team can help build the foundation for the future by competing with a championship mindset this weekend."

Five teams were featured in the latest USTFCCCA National poll from Oct. 22 as the Big 12 sweeps the top spot with BYU women and Oklahoma State men taking the lead in their respective polls.

The Cougars' men also take up residence at the top with the men's team at no. 2 while the OSU Cowgirls are listed at no. 18.

Iowa State's men and West Virginia's women round out the top-5 in both polls at no. 4. The Women of Utah are at no. 6, the men's teams from Colorado and Texas Tech sit at no. 24 and 30, respectively.

"It's hard for me to predict our end result, I'm new to this league and this time. My goal has always been, however, to get these teams, this season, to compete with confidence and purpose. We are gonna fight for every position, both individually and as a team, as if the meet is ours to win," Bucknam said.

To wrap up the regular season, the Wildcats competed in the Bradley Pink Classic on Oct. 18 in Peoria, Ill.

Senior Tommy Hazen and junior Grace Meyer both jumped up in the K-State all-time records with personal bests prior to the postseason. Hazen finished 21^st with a time of 24:17.9, now no. 12 in the men's 8k records, while Meyer recorded her first 6k under 21 minutes in 20:47.9, finishing 17^th, landing at no. 10 in the women's records.

"I like what I see with both these teams in that regard, and the time and effort improvements they made between our first couple races and the Bradley meet. I thought we took a big step forward in Illinois 2 weeks ago. We are capable of taking another big step and realizing our potential individually, and most importantly, as a team," Bucknam said.

Five freshmen are expected to race in the conference championship, Jackson Esquibel, Lucas Holdren, Gracie Jacobs, Christine Jerono and Bree Newport.

Last year the K-State women finished 5^thwith 185 points, tied for their best finish since 2021, while the men's team took 9^th place with 266 points.

-- k-statesports.com --

How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on the K-State Track and Field and Cross Country Teams, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.

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Players Mentioned

Jackson Esquibel

Tommy Hazen

Gracie Jacobs

Christine Jerono

Grace Meyer

Bree Newport

Kansas State University Athletics