Eight Wildcats recorded personal bests at the Gans Creek Classic on Friday, Sept. 25, including three of the top five 8K times in program history. The women added two top-25 marks of their own, giving K-State five runners in the top 25 of the school’s record book.
Multiple ‘Cats know the Gans Creek Cross Country Course well, with seniors Jacob Norris and Paige Baker competing in their third collegiate race at the course.
The women opened the meet with Joyce Kiptabut and Emma Baum putting themselves among K-State’s fastest runners. Kiptabut finished 65th in 20:54.2, while Baum placed 73rd in 21:00.0. The times moved Kiptabut to No. 13 and Baum to a tie for No. 16 on K-State’s all-time list, with both runners recording personal bests.
Junior Christine Jerono followed with another significant improvement, cutting 40 seconds from her personal best with a time of 21:27.7. Bree Allen finished 10 seconds later in 21:37.2, shaving 50 seconds from her previous best. The performances helped the ‘Cats finish 18th as a team.
The men followed with a historic performance of their own. Sophomore Max Larson led K-State, finishing 61st in 23:56.6. Larson became the first Wildcat since 2020 to break the 24-minute mark at the Gans Creek 8K, while his time moved him to No. 3 on K-State’s all-time list, just two seconds behind Cooper Schroeder’s school record of 23:54.6 from 2020.
Junior Brock Olsen also broke 24 minutes, finishing 68th in 23:59.7 and cutting 40 seconds from his personal best. His time moved him to No. 4 in program history. Fellow junior Jackson Esquibel finished 72nd in 24:01.3, a 25-second personal best that moved him from No. 15 to No. 5 all time. The three performances gave K-State three top-five marks in its record book.
“They’re doing all the training, all the work together, so I wasn’t surprised by this performance,” assistant coach Brent Ewing said.
Sophomores Logan Beckman and Dylan Plath added two more personal bests, bringing K-State’s total to eight between the men’s and women’s races. The men finished 17th as a team.
“I think not just the performances at the top, but the depth of the performances on both squads is really what made me the most happy today,” Ewing said.
K-State has one more regular-season meet before the postseason, traveling to Stillwater, Okla., for the Weis-Crockett Invitational on Oct. 17.
