Friday, September 25
Columbia, Mo.
8 a.m.
Kansas State University
vs
Gans Creek Classic
Wildcats Showcase Significant Personal Improvement at Gans Creek Classic
Sep 25, 2026 | Cross Country
Three men and two women made their mark in the K-State top-25 records
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Multiple K-State men and women entered the school all-time top-25 after the Gans Creek Classic on Friday (September 25) highlighted by three men running 8k times that land them in the top-5 records.
Competing at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course, the men's team finished the 8k race in 17th place with 449 points as the women finished with a similar team score in 18th place with 499 points. The hosting Missouri Tigers claimed the women's team title with 56 points while Arkansas' men won with 69 points.
"Yeah, today was incredible. Yeah, it was a really good meet," assistant coach Brent Ewing said. "And of all the conditions lined up in fast course, great weather, great competition, so really happy that they, you know, took advantage of it."
The Wildcats' top three men crossed the finish line within five seconds of each other, two of them boasting times sub-24 minutes, the first to do so since the 2020 season. Sophomore Max Larson led the team in 61st place with a time of 23:56.6, the no. 3 fastest time in the K-State records, and exactly two seconds shy of the school record from Cooper Schroeder in 2020.
Junior Brock Olsen finished at 23:59.7, a 40 second personal best, in 68th place and the no. 4 fastest time. Fellow junior Jackson Esquibel was not far behind in 24:01.3 to place 72nd and claimed the no. 5 spot in the school records with a 25 second personal best. Esquibel previously sat at 15th in the top-25 at 24:26.6, which he ran on this course last year.
"Him [Larson] and Brock and Jackson, like it's a pretty big punch up top with those three," Ewing added. "They're doing all the training, all the work together, and so I wasn't surprised I guess, by this performance. I was hopeful that we would see this, but I wasn't shocked."
The women were led by two runners who ran in the first 6k of their careers, freshman Joyce Kiptabut finished with a time of 20:54.2 to finish 65th while sophomore Emma Baum was just six seconds behind in 73rd place at 21:00.0. Both Wildcats enter the school top-25 records, Kiptabut jumps in at no. 13, Baum is tied for no. 16 with Kayla Doll from 2017.
"This was Joyce and Emma's first 6k ever too so for them to be able to open up with that good of a performance in their very first 6k is promising," Ewing said. "And both squads are still, I mean, we're young. That's what really excites me too, is that on both sides, we almost have everybody returning next year. So, there's just a lot of optimism around the program and kind of what we've got building right now."
Two more men ran their fastest 8k times, sophomore Logan Beckman in 24:34.7 to finish 131st, and fellow sophomore Dylan Plath at 24:36.0 in 135th place. Beckman's time was 25 seconds faster than his previous and puts him one spot back from entering the school's top-25.
The women ran in a pack as four runners finished the 6k within nine of each other. Sophomore Payton Fink (120th; 21:26.5) and junior Christine Jerono (121st; 21:27.7) crossed the finish line consecutively, an improvement by over 40 seconds for Fink. Freshman McKenna Montgomery ran a strong race (133rd; 21:32.1), five seconds ahead of sophomore Bree Allen (142nd; 21:37.2), also a personal best by almost 50 seconds.
"So, I think not just the performances at the top, but the depth of the performances on the on both squads is really what made me the most happy today."
K-State will finish the regular season on Saturday, October 17, at the Weis-Crockett Invitational in Stillwater, Okla., the first in consecutive races the Wildcats will compete in at the Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course hosted by Oklahoma State.
FROM THE COURSE
Assistant Coach Brent Ewing
On the expectations for the next race on October 17 at Oklahoma State…
"So, we've got a really big training block now, kind of our last big training block. And these next two races, I mean, we're really gonna just focus on competing. It's a tougher course at OK State. We're gonna have some hills, and so we've been implementing a lot of that in our training. And we kind of knew like, 'Hey, if you're if you're looking to put down a super fast time, this weekend at Gans is the time to do it.' It's going to be tough to be able to replicate that time, you know, in three weeks when we compete. Not saying it can't happen, but it's just a more challenging course."
On the addition of transfer Max Larson to the men's team…
"Oh, it's made a big difference. Now, like all the guys knew him too, because they're all pretty much from the same area. So Max, although he's new, it's like the guys knew him. So you would have no idea that this is his first year here, just the way that he blends in with the rest of the group… I mean, I was confident that, you know, he's someone that could take a swing at the school record in cross country."
Women's Team Finishes (6k Gold)
1. Missouri, 56 points
2. Kentucky, 136 pts
3. Florida State, 152 pts
4. North Dakota, 169 pts
5. Arkansas, 169 pts
6. Nebraska, 201 pts
7. Wyoming, 246 pts
8. Ole Miss, 261 pts
9. Tennessee, 282 pts
10. Utah State, 291 pts
18. K-State, 499 pts
K-State's Individual Results
65. Joyce Kiptabut, 20:54.2
73. Emma Baum, 21:00.0
120. Payton Fink, 21:26.5 (PR)
121. Christine Jerono, 21:27.7
133. McKenna Montgomery, 21:32.1
142. Bree Allen, 21:37.2 (PR)
168. Hanna Keltner, 21:51.4 (PR)
179. Paige Baker, 21:56.5
226. Sage Siegrist, 22:42.9
Men's Team Finishes (8k Gold)
1. Arkansas, 69 points
2. Tennessee, 75 pts
3. Wichita State, 170 pts
4. Colo. School of Mines, 175 pts
5. Ole Miss, 202 pts
6. Missouri, 230 pts
7. Florida State, 253 pts
8. Colorado State, 265 pts
9. Illinois, 269 pts
10. Kansas, 273 pts
17. K-State, 449 pts
K-State's Individual Results
61. Max Larson, 23:56.6
68. Brock Olsen, 23:59.7 (PR)
72. Jackson Esquibel, 24:01.3 (PR)
131. Logan Beckman, 24:34.7 (PR)
135. Dylan Plath, 24:36.0 (PR)
191. Vance Krudwig, 25:08.6 (PR)
235. Jacob Norris, 25:53.3
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.
Competing at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course, the men's team finished the 8k race in 17th place with 449 points as the women finished with a similar team score in 18th place with 499 points. The hosting Missouri Tigers claimed the women's team title with 56 points while Arkansas' men won with 69 points.
"Yeah, today was incredible. Yeah, it was a really good meet," assistant coach Brent Ewing said. "And of all the conditions lined up in fast course, great weather, great competition, so really happy that they, you know, took advantage of it."
The Wildcats' top three men crossed the finish line within five seconds of each other, two of them boasting times sub-24 minutes, the first to do so since the 2020 season. Sophomore Max Larson led the team in 61st place with a time of 23:56.6, the no. 3 fastest time in the K-State records, and exactly two seconds shy of the school record from Cooper Schroeder in 2020.
Junior Brock Olsen finished at 23:59.7, a 40 second personal best, in 68th place and the no. 4 fastest time. Fellow junior Jackson Esquibel was not far behind in 24:01.3 to place 72nd and claimed the no. 5 spot in the school records with a 25 second personal best. Esquibel previously sat at 15th in the top-25 at 24:26.6, which he ran on this course last year.
"Him [Larson] and Brock and Jackson, like it's a pretty big punch up top with those three," Ewing added. "They're doing all the training, all the work together, and so I wasn't surprised I guess, by this performance. I was hopeful that we would see this, but I wasn't shocked."
The women were led by two runners who ran in the first 6k of their careers, freshman Joyce Kiptabut finished with a time of 20:54.2 to finish 65th while sophomore Emma Baum was just six seconds behind in 73rd place at 21:00.0. Both Wildcats enter the school top-25 records, Kiptabut jumps in at no. 13, Baum is tied for no. 16 with Kayla Doll from 2017.
"This was Joyce and Emma's first 6k ever too so for them to be able to open up with that good of a performance in their very first 6k is promising," Ewing said. "And both squads are still, I mean, we're young. That's what really excites me too, is that on both sides, we almost have everybody returning next year. So, there's just a lot of optimism around the program and kind of what we've got building right now."
Two more men ran their fastest 8k times, sophomore Logan Beckman in 24:34.7 to finish 131st, and fellow sophomore Dylan Plath at 24:36.0 in 135th place. Beckman's time was 25 seconds faster than his previous and puts him one spot back from entering the school's top-25.
The women ran in a pack as four runners finished the 6k within nine of each other. Sophomore Payton Fink (120th; 21:26.5) and junior Christine Jerono (121st; 21:27.7) crossed the finish line consecutively, an improvement by over 40 seconds for Fink. Freshman McKenna Montgomery ran a strong race (133rd; 21:32.1), five seconds ahead of sophomore Bree Allen (142nd; 21:37.2), also a personal best by almost 50 seconds.
"So, I think not just the performances at the top, but the depth of the performances on the on both squads is really what made me the most happy today."
K-State will finish the regular season on Saturday, October 17, at the Weis-Crockett Invitational in Stillwater, Okla., the first in consecutive races the Wildcats will compete in at the Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course hosted by Oklahoma State.
FROM THE COURSE
Assistant Coach Brent Ewing
On the expectations for the next race on October 17 at Oklahoma State…
"So, we've got a really big training block now, kind of our last big training block. And these next two races, I mean, we're really gonna just focus on competing. It's a tougher course at OK State. We're gonna have some hills, and so we've been implementing a lot of that in our training. And we kind of knew like, 'Hey, if you're if you're looking to put down a super fast time, this weekend at Gans is the time to do it.' It's going to be tough to be able to replicate that time, you know, in three weeks when we compete. Not saying it can't happen, but it's just a more challenging course."
On the addition of transfer Max Larson to the men's team…
"Oh, it's made a big difference. Now, like all the guys knew him too, because they're all pretty much from the same area. So Max, although he's new, it's like the guys knew him. So you would have no idea that this is his first year here, just the way that he blends in with the rest of the group… I mean, I was confident that, you know, he's someone that could take a swing at the school record in cross country."
Women's Team Finishes (6k Gold)
1. Missouri, 56 points
2. Kentucky, 136 pts
3. Florida State, 152 pts
4. North Dakota, 169 pts
5. Arkansas, 169 pts
6. Nebraska, 201 pts
7. Wyoming, 246 pts
8. Ole Miss, 261 pts
9. Tennessee, 282 pts
10. Utah State, 291 pts
18. K-State, 499 pts
K-State's Individual Results
65. Joyce Kiptabut, 20:54.2
73. Emma Baum, 21:00.0
120. Payton Fink, 21:26.5 (PR)
121. Christine Jerono, 21:27.7
133. McKenna Montgomery, 21:32.1
142. Bree Allen, 21:37.2 (PR)
168. Hanna Keltner, 21:51.4 (PR)
179. Paige Baker, 21:56.5
226. Sage Siegrist, 22:42.9
Men's Team Finishes (8k Gold)
1. Arkansas, 69 points
2. Tennessee, 75 pts
3. Wichita State, 170 pts
4. Colo. School of Mines, 175 pts
5. Ole Miss, 202 pts
6. Missouri, 230 pts
7. Florida State, 253 pts
8. Colorado State, 265 pts
9. Illinois, 269 pts
10. Kansas, 273 pts
17. K-State, 449 pts
K-State's Individual Results
61. Max Larson, 23:56.6
68. Brock Olsen, 23:59.7 (PR)
72. Jackson Esquibel, 24:01.3 (PR)
131. Logan Beckman, 24:34.7 (PR)
135. Dylan Plath, 24:36.0 (PR)
191. Vance Krudwig, 25:08.6 (PR)
235. Jacob Norris, 25:53.3
-- 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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