Friday, September 4
Ashland, Neb.
7:45 a.m.
Kansas State University
vs
Platte River Rumble Gold
Wildcats Start Season at Platte River Rumble Gold
Sep 03, 2026 | Cross Country
This will start a consecutive season in Nebraska, the first with assistant coach Brent Ewing
MANHATTAN, Kan. – The K-State men's and women's cross country teams start the 2026 season on Friday (September 4) at the Platte River Rumble Gold in Ashland, Neb., at the Eugene T. Mahoney State Park.
The women's 5k will start at 7:45 a.m. with the men's 6k following at 8:15 a.m. Other participating schools include hosting Creighton and Omaha as well as Iowa Western, Peru State and Southeast Community College.
Event tickets need to be purchased prior to Friday morning as a $20 entrance fee per vehicle to the State Park, each occupant will receive a wristband to access the course. More ticket information can be found here.
The Wildcats will start a consecutive season at the Mahoney Cross Country Course, last year the women's team won with 34 points, the men's team finished 3rd. Fifth year senior Cecilia Fisher finished runner-up with a time of 17:21.52, while two other Cats placed in the top-5, graduated senior Grace Meyer (3rd; 17:29.40) and junior Christine Jerono (5th; 17:31.25). During the men's only 6k of the year, juniors Jackson Esquibel (9th; 18:07.45) and Brock Olsen (10th; 18:11.60) crossed the finish line consecutively.
K-State had an offseason addition to the staff as Brent Ewing was hired on July 16 as a cross country assistant coach, overseeing the distance and middle-distance runners. Ewing previously spent the last eight years as head coach at Indian Hills Community College. Ewing is not a stranger to the Platte River Rumble, the Warriors also competed in the race the last two seasons.
"We're excited to get the season underway. We've put in a great training block these last three weeks and are looking forward to getting a chance to compete for the first time this season," Ewing said. "Both the men and women have done a good job of packing up in workouts this preseason. We'll look to focus on that this weekend and contend for a victory at the Platte River Rumble."
Friday's race will be the first for five women, freshmen Joyce Kiptabut, McKenna Montgomery and Sage Siegrist and sophomores Emma Baum and Payton Wurtz, who both sat out last season. Sophomore Max Larson is the only newcomer on the men's team, transferring from Tulsa.
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.
The women's 5k will start at 7:45 a.m. with the men's 6k following at 8:15 a.m. Other participating schools include hosting Creighton and Omaha as well as Iowa Western, Peru State and Southeast Community College.
Event tickets need to be purchased prior to Friday morning as a $20 entrance fee per vehicle to the State Park, each occupant will receive a wristband to access the course. More ticket information can be found here.
The Wildcats will start a consecutive season at the Mahoney Cross Country Course, last year the women's team won with 34 points, the men's team finished 3rd. Fifth year senior Cecilia Fisher finished runner-up with a time of 17:21.52, while two other Cats placed in the top-5, graduated senior Grace Meyer (3rd; 17:29.40) and junior Christine Jerono (5th; 17:31.25). During the men's only 6k of the year, juniors Jackson Esquibel (9th; 18:07.45) and Brock Olsen (10th; 18:11.60) crossed the finish line consecutively.
K-State had an offseason addition to the staff as Brent Ewing was hired on July 16 as a cross country assistant coach, overseeing the distance and middle-distance runners. Ewing previously spent the last eight years as head coach at Indian Hills Community College. Ewing is not a stranger to the Platte River Rumble, the Warriors also competed in the race the last two seasons.
"We're excited to get the season underway. We've put in a great training block these last three weeks and are looking forward to getting a chance to compete for the first time this season," Ewing said. "Both the men and women have done a good job of packing up in workouts this preseason. We'll look to focus on that this weekend and contend for a victory at the Platte River Rumble."
Friday's race will be the first for five women, freshmen Joyce Kiptabut, McKenna Montgomery and Sage Siegrist and sophomores Emma Baum and Payton Wurtz, who both sat out last season. Sophomore Max Larson is the only newcomer on the men's team, transferring from Tulsa.
-- 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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