FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Missouri Southern's cross country teams faced a deep national field on Friday at the prestigious Chile Pepper Festival held at Agri Park.

The women's team placed 11th out of 29 teams with 285 points. Lilah Genel led the squad with a 37th-place finish, recording a time of 17:36.6. Kyla Weems (17:42.6), Isabella Frost (18:07.0), Hailey Nelson (18:08.2), and Abbey Brackenbury (18:21.4) rounded out the scoring runners. Ava Power (18:48.0) and Zoe Nelson (18:49.5) also posted strong times. The women averaged 17:59 for the 5K and finished just one minute four seconds behind the winning team's average time.

The men's team finished 14th out of 30 teams, scoring 406 points. The Lions were led by Jaden Deaton's 12th-place finish in 24:14.7. Chase Sorrell followed in 25:27.7, with Kelby Connor (25:48.1), Carson King (25:52.0), and Kaden Cole (26:27.2) rounding out the top five scorers. Kelton Sorrell (26:34.3) and Caleb Leach (26:38.0) also contributed solid performances. The team averaged 25:34 for the 8K and finished just 2 minutes behind the winning team's average time.

Missouri Southern now shifts its focus to the 2025 MIAA Cross Country Championships, set for Saturday, Oct. 25 at Four Oaks Golf Course in Pittsburg, Kan.