The Creighton men’s and women’s cross country teams wrapped up their seasons Friday at the NCAA Regionals, facing one of the nation’s most difficult courses at Oklahoma State’s Greiner Family Cross Country Course. Despite missing key athletes on both teams, the Bluejays showed grit, growth and promise for the future.
“We ran pretty well today considering the athletes we had at the start line,” head coach Chris Gannon said. “For the kids we had available to us today that were healthy, we ran pretty well. Our women’s team moved up from where they were a year ago … and the men’s team, [who] lost a lot of talent last year between redshirts and graduation, performed pretty well.”
On the men’s side, Creighton competed with just one of the seven runners who ran last year’s regional and finished 24th of 30 teams. Senior Eli Moore led the Bluejays in 98th place, crossing the finish line in 32:58.8 for his first 10K of the season.
“Eli ran a really smart race,” Gannon said. “He’s become a really mature runner and he knows his body. He moved up throughout the race, executed really, really well, and it’s awesome to see that from a senior.”
Junior Oliver Annus made his NCAA Regional debut with a 103rd-place finish in 33:01.5. Freshman Andrew Sauer (152nd, 34:07.2), sophomores Lucas Bossinger (153rd) and Sam Berlinghof (155th) and seniors Dominic Ricci (164th) and Cole Haith (186th) rounded out the men’s roster.
“That jump to a 10k, especially on this course, is a huge challenge,” Gannon said. “You got to be excited about where things are headed with a good group of people that will continue to be here next year as we continue to build. If you would have asked me a year ago, as much as we lost, this would be the performance today, I’d be pretty excited about it.”
The women’s team also showed progress, placing 27th of 32 teams — four spots higher than last year. Senior Carly Manchester led the Bluejays with a 116th-place finish in 22:34.2, shaving nearly a minute off her time from two years ago. Right behind her, fellow senior Anika Nettekoven closed out her Creighton career in 125th with a time of 22:42.4.
“It’s awesome to see [Carly and Anika’s] growth over four years here … not just in running, but their growth in leadership and just leaving it all out here. Our team as a whole is in a better place than when they got here — that’s the biggest thing I can ask for as a coach.”
Freshman Reyna Heisserer finished 142nd in 22:52.4, followed by senior Katherine Soule (171st, 23:17.3), freshman Sophia Redler (197th, 23:50.2) and junior Sophia Valentine (205th, 24:10.2). The team competed without top runner junior Taylor Rorick, while freshman Atlee Wallman started but did not finish.
Oklahoma State swept the meet, earning both the team and individual crowns. Despite unseasonably warm temperatures and a punishing course layout, the Bluejays walked away proud of their progress and hungry for more.
Creighton now turns its attention to the indoor track season, with cross country set to return to action next fall.