Kansas State cross country is heading to its second cross country meet of the season in South Bend, Indiana, this Friday, Oct. 3.
The race will feature teams such as Notre Dame, Iowa, Boise State and University of Kansas, among many others, who should make it a competitive race.
K-State’s first race of the season ended with the women finishing in first place at the Platte River Rumble. This was the K-State women’s first win since October of 2023.
The Wildcats claimed three of the top five finishers in the race, which helped them secure the victory. Their top four racers all claimed personal records as well, which is a good sight to see for the rest of the season.
Cecilia Fisher led the way for the Wildcats, finishing second in the race with a time of 17:21.52. Coming right behind her in third was Grace Meyer with a time of 17:29.40 and rounding out the top five was Christine Jerono with a time of 17:31.45.
“It’s a huge boost of confidence for our team,” Fisher said. “It’s so fun to leave the first meet with a win, and it is also tangible evidence that we have the potential to do some big things this year as a team.”
The men’s cross country team did well for themselves as they finished in third in the Platte River Rumble, finishing behind Iowa Western Community College and Northwest Missouri State.
The men’s team had two top 10 finishers and was led by Jackson Esquibel with a time of 18:07.45, which was a personal record for him and good for ninth place in the race. Coming behind Esquibel in 10th place was Brock Olsen with a time of 18:11.60.
“Jackson did a great job of setting the tone and getting up front early,” K-State head coach Kate Buckman said. “Brock had a heck of a day in his debut race and did a great job of staying close to Jackson.”
With both the men and women off to a good start this season, it sets up to be a successful season. Both teams will face a significant test at the Joe Piane Invitational, where they last competed in 2019.
The women will race in the blue division, which starts at 8:50 a.m., and the men will race in the gold division, which starts at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, October 3.
