Men's Cross Country | 9/24/2026 12:44:00 PM

Emporia State Cross Country
at Gans Creek Classic
Gans Creek Cross Country Course • Columbia, Mo.
Friday, September 25 • Women's 6K at 9:45 a.m./Men's 8K at 10:30 a.m.
Live Results • Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: Pre-Nationals
Sunday, October 11 • 9:45 a.m.
Rim Rock Farm • Lawrence, Kan.

SHOW ME
Emporia State leaves Kansas for the first time this season as they head to Columbia, Mo. to take part in the Gans Creek Classic hosted by the University of Missouri. There will be four collegiate races on Friday with ESU scheduled to compete in teh Black Open races. Gans Creek will be the site of this year's SEC Championships.

LAST RUN
The Emporia State women placed fourth and the men fifth at the Ollie Isom Invitational on September 11 in El Dorado, Kan.
The Hornet women ran a tight pack with their five scorers all finishing within ten spots of each other.  Brett Jacobson was the top finisher, placing 19th in  a time of 20:53.3 over the five kilometer course.  Emma Bartholome ran 21:01.4 to place 21st while Montgomery Morgan ran 21:14.7 and Maria Ham was clocked in 21:18.5 to finish in 23rd and 24th respectively.  Lilly Skalsky was the final scorer with a time of 21:36.9 to place 29th overall for Emporia State.
The Hornet men had five athletes in the top 31 led by Bryce Roberts in a time of 27:40.6 to place 17th over the eight kilometer course. Jordan Schierbaum and Isaac Ibendahl finished in 19th and 20th with Schriebaum running 27:44.3 and Ibendahl clocking in at 27:51.4 for ESU. Gage Chapman ran 28:04.5 to place 24th and Carson Fouard was 31st in 28:31.6 to round out the Hornet scoring.

THE COACH
Justin Hill is in his third year as head cross country coach at Emporia State and will be in charge of the middle distance and distance runners for the Hornet track and field program. Hill was the director of operations and assistant cross country coach for the Hornets from 2021-24. He served as meet director for Emporia State's regular season home meets in addition to overseeing the operational aspects of the Hornet cross country and track and field programs.

BIG TEAM
The Hornets brought back five of the top six men and four of the top five women runners from last year and have a total of 20 men and 16 women in the program this year

QUICK LOOK AT THE HORNETS
The Emporia State men finished third at the JK Gold Classic and fifth at the Ollie Isom Invitational.
Dylan Hunter was the top finisher for ESU at the JK Gold with a time of 19:14.14 over six kilometers. Bryce Roberts led the Hornets at the Ollie Isom with a time of 27:40.6 over the eight kilometer course. Jordan Schierbaum was the second runner in both races for Emporia State.
The Hornet women placed third at the JK Gold Classic and fourth at the Ollie Isom Invitational. Montgomery Morgan led ESU runners with a time of 19:46.41 at the JK Gold while Brett Jacobsen was the top Hornet finisher at the Ollie Isom in 20:53.3 with both races going five kilometers. Emma Bartholome was second at the Ollie Isom and third at the JK Gold.  

LAST TIME AT GANS CREEK
The Emporia State men and women both placed 18th out of nearly 30 teams competing at the Gans Creek Classic.
There were nearly 400 runners in the men's 8K race.  Dylan Hunter was the top finisher for the Hornets running 25:39.1 to place 91st overall.  Luke Gleason ran 25:48.5 to place 106th and Treyton Laurance was 120th in 25:58.4 to round out the top three for ESU. 
The women's race saw 300 competitors run the 6K course.  Mason Bina paced Emporia State with a time of 23:35.6 as she placed 95th overall while Catherine Lyon was 136th in 24:08.9 as the second Hornet finisher. Diana Messick ran 24:28.3 to finish in 155th and move into the top three for the Hornets. 
  
HOW TOUGH IS IT?
The MIAA has four women's teams and three men's teams in the USTFCCCA National Top 30. The MIAA and RMAC are the only leagues with at least three teams ranked in both the men's and women's polls.
Six different MIAA schools are represented in the USTFCCCA Central Regional Rankings. The MIAA has five teams in both the men's and women's regional rankings.

UP NEXT
The Hornets will take part in the NCAA Division II Pre-Nationals meet at Rim Rock Farm on Sunday, October 12 outside Lawrence, Kan.