Mizzou cross country opened its 2026 season with a strong morning at the Cyclone Opener in Ames, Iowa, as both the men and women finished second.
The headline belonged to Elijah Limo, who won the men’s race in 18:05.2 at the Iowa State Cross Country Course. It was the first collegiate victory of his career. Raymond Kipoech followed close behind in second at 18:10.6, giving the Tigers a clean one-two at the front of the field.
Tyler Freiner added another top-10 result for Missouri, placing sixth in 18:46.1 to help the men total 42 points. That was enough for second place behind Minnesota, which won the team title with 37 points. Drake finished third with 82 points, followed by Iowa State with 88 and Nebraska with 121.
The women also came away with a runner-up finish, led by Monica Wanjiku’s second-place run in 16:22.5 in the 5k. That marked her fifth top-12 individual finish. Behind her, Kobi Walker was third in 16:28.9 and Suzy Lecoutre was fourth in 16:36.0, and both posted personal bests in the 5k.
Mirriam Chepkirui added a ninth-place finish in 17:17.5 for her first top-10 result. Charlotte Cullen took 20th in 17:51.3 for her second top-20 finish.
Other women’s results for Missouri included Maleah Eggers in 23rd at 18:06.5, Natalie Barnard in 35th at 18:31.2 and Elissa Barnard in 42nd at 18:47.6.
On the men’s side, Carter Spradling finished 15th in 18:46.1, Joshua Allison was 16th in 18:48.2, Joseph Bariola took 19th in 18:55.6 and Ethan Lee placed 35th in 19:24.5. The men’s team score came from a 1-2-6-16-17 finish pattern.
With the second-place finishes from both squads, Missouri has now placed third or better in its season-opening meet in each of the last five seasons.
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