K-State Men Excel in Final Race at NCAA Midwest Regional

AMES, Iowa – The K-State men's and women's cross country teams concluded the season on Friday (November 13) at the NCAA Midwest Regional on the ISU Cross Country Course. Three men ran the only 10k of the season under 31 minutes, landing them in the all-time top-25 school records.

The men's team finished the 10k in 18^th place with 494 points and the women's team landed in 23^rd place with 594 points. The men recorded the highest team finish since 2022 when that squad finished 11^th with 322 points.

Two Big 12 teams claimed the men's and women's titles for a fourth consecutive year. The Oklahoma State men won for a fourth year in a row with 57 points while Iowa State's women won with 72 points, the first team title since 2018.

Three men ran their personal bests in the 10k while two sophomores ran in the first of their career. Sophomore Max Larson continued to lead the team as he finished with a time of 30:13.7 in 58^th place, now the no. 4 fastest time in K-State history and the best by a Wildcats since 2022.

Running in the third regional race of his career, junior Jackson Esquibel ran 30:20.3, an improvement of over 45 seconds and the no. 5 best time. Sophomore Logan Beckman saw significant improvement in just his second 10k as he ran a time of 30:36.5, over two minutes faster than his time last season, to claim the no. 12 fastest time in school records.

"We talked a lot about taking advantage of this opportunity to run a fast 10K," assistant coach Brent Ewing said. "It's a good course, it was nice weather, sun was out, light wind and we really wanted to make a dent on the all-time top 25 list, and I really felt that we did that. Our men from top to bottom ran really well, and just proud to be able to end the season on such a good note with that kind of momentum."

Two more Wildcats rounded out the men's team, sophomore Dylan Plath (135^th; 31:24.2), in his first NCAA race, and junior Brock Olsen (159^th; 32:08.4), faster than last season by more than 35 seconds.

On the women's side, freshman Joyce Kiptabut crossed the finish line first for the Cats just 7 seconds shy of her 6k personal best in 21:01.2 in 88^th place. Junior Christine Jerono raced in her first NCAA postseason since 2024, finishing with her fastest time of the season at 21:22.1 in 108^th place.

Two more Cats ran times with a nine second difference, sophomore Payton Fink in 21:31.1 to finish 121^st, ahead of senior Paige Baker in her third regional race in 21:40.9, placing 135^th, just four seconds shy of her personal best she set in 2024.

"I thought our ladies ran really well today, and we knew after conference that that wasn't our best effort," Ewing added. "We knew that we were better than that, and we had six of our seven girls came out today, and were within about five to 15 seconds of their PR."

In the first season under Ewing both teams were crowned winners at the same meet for the first time since 2022, the men's team recorded improved team finishes at two postseason meets and four men and two women climbed up in the school record books.

FROM THE COURSE
Assistant Coach Brent Ewing
On the young men's team having a breakout season…
"I'm incredibly proud of our men's performance. They've shown a lot of drive all year to be the very best they can be. The chemistry within that group is rare and plays a big part in their success. I couldn't have asked for a better season… Putting three in the top twelve all time is a great way to finish the season."

On the perseverance of the women's team the second half of the season…
"Losing one of our top two runners, Emma Baum, to injury definitely impacted the second half of the season for our ladies. We had a lot of momentum coming off of the Gans Creek meet but struggled to find our rhythm the last two competitions. I really wanted to prove to ourselves that we could end the season on a positive note. I felt we did just that."

NCAA Midwest Regional
ISU Cross Country Course
Ames, Iowa

Women's Team Finishes (6k)
1. Iowa State, 72 points
2. Oklahoma State, 91 pts
3. Northwestern, 113 pts
4. Missouri, 152 pts
5. Minnesota, 155 pts
6. Oklahoma, 195 pts
7. North Dakota, 213 pts
8. Bradley, 253 pts
9. Kansas, 281 pts
10. South Dakota, 301 pts
11. Illinois State, 304 pts
12. Nebraska, 363 pts
13. Illinois, 393 pts
14. Tulsa, 396 pts
15. North Dakota State, 430 pts
23. K-State, 594 pts

K-State's Individual Results
88. Joyce Kiptabut, 21:01.2
108. Christine Jerono, 21:22.1
121. Payton Fink, 21:31.1
135. Paige Baker, 21:40.9
146. Bree Allen, 21:49.8
158. McKenna Montgomery, 21:58.1
172. Hanna Keltner, 22:09.0

Men's Team Finishes (10k)
1. Oklahoma State, 57 points
2. Iowa State, 61 pts
3. Wichita State, 132 pts
4. Minnesota, 155 pts
5. Missouri, 159 pts
6. Tulsa, 189 pts
7. South Dakota State, 198 pts
8. Kansas 199 pts
9. Bradley, 251 pts
10. Loyola (Ill.), 280 pts
11. South Dakota, 353 pts
12. Illinois State, 360 pts
13. North Dakota, 363 pts
14. Illinois, 392 pts
15. Oklahoma 406 pts
18. K-State, 494 pts

K-State's Individual Results
58. Max Larson, 30:13.7
67. Jackson Esquibel, 30:20.3 (PR)
88. Logan Beckman, 30:36.5 (PR)
135. Dylan Plath, 31:24.2
159. Brock Olsen, 32:08.4 (PR)

-- 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.

Schedule

Players Mentioned

Bree Allen

Paige Baker

Emma Baum

Logan Beckman

Jackson Esquibel

Payton Fink

Christine Jerono

Hanna Keltner

Joyce Kiptabut

Max Larson

McKenna Montgomery

Brock Olsen

Dylan Plath

Footer

Upcoming Events

Results

Completed Event: Cross Country versus NCAA Midwest Regional on November 13, 2026 , , M (18th) / W (23rd)

Completed Event: Cross Country versus Big 12 Championship on October 31, 2026 , , W (15th) / M (10th)

Completed Event: Cross Country versus Weis-Crockett Invitational on October 17, 2026 , , M (2nd) / W (2nd)

Completed Event: Cross Country versus Gans Creek Classic on September 25, 2026 , , M (17th) / W (18th)

Completed Event: Cross Country versus Platte River Rumble Gold on September 4, 2026 , , M (1st) / W (1st)

Completed Event: Cross Country versus NCAA Midwest Regional on November 14, 2025 , , W (19th) / M (21st)

Completed Event: Cross Country versus Big 12 Championship on October 31, 2025 , , M (11th) / W (9th)

Completed Event: Cross Country at Pre-National Invitational on October 17, 2025 , , W (19th) / M (25th)

Related News