Cross Checking the Bears
SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State cross country continues its postseason journey on Friday, Nov. 14, as the Bears travel to Stillwater, Okla., for the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships hosted by Oklahoma State University. The women's 6K race is set to begin at 9:00 a.m. CT at the Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course.
Missouri State enters the regional stage following a historic performance at the Conference USA Championships, where the Bears raced to a third-place team finish, marking their highest conference placement in nearly a decade. The team's performance in Huntsville was fueled by career-best efforts across the board, with five runners landing among the top 35 in a field of more than 100 competitors.
Leading the way were
Tabitha Fox,
Ella Cronhardt,
Elsa Henry,
Madilyn Moore, and
Ella Rew, who combined for one of the program's most complete postseason performances in recent history. Their collective effort added several new marks to the Missouri State record book and continued a season defined by depth and consistency.
The 2025 campaign has seen Missouri State capture team victories at both the Redhawks Invitational and Queen City Twilight, along with top-five finishes at the Chile Pepper Festival, Bradley Pink Classic, and CUSA Championship. The group's ability to perform at a high level against elite competition has positioned the Bears among the Midwest's rising programs.
The stakes are high in Stillwater, as teams and individuals vie for spots at the NCAA National Championships. A total of 31 teams per gender will advance to the national meet, with 18 automatic qualifiers emerging from the nine regional championships. The remaining 13 teams will be selected at large by the NCAA Division I Cross Country Subcommittee based on performances throughout the regular season and regional competition.
Missouri State has a proud tradition of representation at the national level, highlighted by former standouts Casey Owens and Pasca Cheruiyot. Owens qualified for the NCAA National Championships twice during her career, earning her first trip in 2003 after placing sixth at the Midwest Regional before returning in 2004 with a seventh-place finish. Cheruiyot became the Bears' most recent national qualifier in 2008, finishing third at the regional meet to advance to the NCAA Championships.
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