Cross Checking the Bears
Missouri State women's cross country hopes to continue its strong start to the 2025 season as the Bears head to Fayetteville, Ark., for the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival on Saturday, Oct. 4, with the women's 5K race beginning at 11 a.m. at Agri Park.
The Chile Pepper Festival is one of the premier cross country meets in the nation, bringing together more than 80 college programs, 120 high school teams, and hundreds of community runners on the University of Arkansas' nationally renowned course. Free spectator parking and shuttle services will be available for spectators.
Missouri State enters the weekend riding momentum after back-to-back team victories at the Redhawks Invitational (Aug. 29) and the Queen City Invitational (Sept. 13), each with a team score of 29 points.
Individually,
Madilyn Moore opened the year with a win in Cape Girardeau (17:58.60) and added a fifth-place finish in Springfield.
Ella Cronhardt made an immediate impact in her season debut at the Queen City Invitational, running a personal-best 17:54.90 to finish third. Freshman
Ella Rew has been a strong early-season performer, clocking 18:02.88 at the opener before adding another top-10 finish in Springfield. Veterans
Amy Gotfredson and
Elsa Henry have been consistent frontrunners, while
Addysen Clark and
Lena Singleton continue to provide scoring depth.
With nine runners already breaking the 19-minute mark this season, Missouri State brings a balanced and competitive roster to Fayetteville as it looks to build on a strong start against a large and talented field.
#GoBears
