COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Central Missouri Cross Country teams competed at the Brian T. Simpson Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 10, from the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia.
The Mules claimed the team title out of nine teams, scoring 22 points in the 8k race, with all five scoring runners finishing in the top-10, highlighted by a pair of top-five finishers.
Liberty, Mo. native
Kaden Kleinhen's (personal-best time of 25:23.4) took third, while fifth-year
Alejandro Malave (25:31.6) crossed the finish line just behind in fourth.
Senior
Clay Pilliard (25:56.9) took home seventh-place, Kahoka, Mo. native
Mason McDaniel (26:03.0) had a ninth-place finish, and freshman
Jorden Anderson (26:09.0) rounded out the scoring for the Mules in 10
th.
Missouri S&T (49 points), Truman State (86 points), Drury (129 points), and Park University (130 points) rounded out the top-five team scores.
This is the first team title for Central Missouri since the 2022 Border War XC College Championship on Friday, Oct. 7, where the Mules also scored 22 points.
The Jens took home their third top-five team finish of the 2026 season, earning second place out of 11 teams and scoring 51 points in the 5k race.
Sophomores
Jordyn Brown (second-place with a time of 18:18.6) and
Marianna Bizon (fifth-place finish with a time of 18:41.5) highlighted the Jens with a pair of top-five finishes.
Marietta, Ga., native
Yolanda Brooks placed 10
th, crossing the finish line in 18:59.6, sophomore
Madison Cross placed 17
th with a time of 19:24.0, while Warrensburg, Mo. native
Falon Hudson rounded out the scoring for the Jens, taking home 25
th-place with a time of 19:45.5.
Truman State took home the team title, scoring 26 points, with Missouri S&T (third-place scoring 115 points), Drury (fourth-place scoring 122 points), and William Woods (fifth-place scoring 130 points) round out the top-five team scores.
Central Missouri returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 24, for the Griffon Open, with the women's 5k race beginning at 10:00 a.m., and the men's 8k race to follow at 10:45 a.m. from the Griffon Cross Country Course in St. Joseph, Mo.
