The cross-country team looks to prove just how dominant they are in the MIAA and the entire country this year. Cross country has been an elite program at the NCAA Division II level for years, and this year the men’s and women’s squads look to prove again that they are the best runners in the country in Division II.
For the men’s squad, they attempt to reclaim a crown they haven’t held since 2023, the MIAA title. As they hunt for this crown, they also look to continue their prestigious streak of six years of qualifying for the NCAA-II National Championships.
The 2025 men’s team was led by Redshirt senior Nathan Hinrichs, who finished fourth overall at the 2025 MIAA Championships and then also finished fourth overall at the NCAA Central Regional. The team was also led by Redshirt senior Dylan Sprecker, who recorded a sixth overall finish at the MIAA conference meet and earned First-Team All-MIAA status.
The final member who led the 2025 season was Redshirt senior Tyler Atkins, who finished ninth at the MIAA Championships and helped lead the Gorillas to a top five team finish at the Lewis Crossover. This season, the team is led by Sprecker, Atkins, and Redshirt junior Eli Gilmore, who consistently finished well for the Gorillas in 2025.
For the women’s squad, they are looking to defend their crown, as the women’s cross-country team has won the MIAA Championships four years in a row, and they are in hot pursuit of a fifth year holding that crown.
This women’s cross-country team will dominate with many of last season’s top runners returning. Redshirt senior Hannah Gibson led the 2025 season, finishing third overall at the 2025 MIAA championships to secure the conference title for the team, and she also finished fifth overall at the Lewis Crossover. Junior Paige Mullen also led this squad with elite individual performances throughout the season, which included a third-place finish at the Lewis Crossover.
Sophomore Lorna Rae Pierce rounded out the top three for the women’s team last season. Pierce captured sixth place overall at the MIAA Championships and placed 23rd overall at the Lewis Crossover. Gibson, Mullen, and Pierce all return to the women’s team this season to continue to dominate the MIAA division and go for a fifth year in a row of holding the MIAA crown.
The Pitt State Cross Country team returns to action Thursday, Sept. 3 at the Distance After Dark meet in Tulsa, OK.
