Saturday, October 31
Stillwater, OK
8:00 AM MST
University of Arizona
at
Big 12 Championships
10/29/2026 | Cross Country
STILLWATER, Oklahoma - Championship season has arrived for Arizona Cross Country as they head to Oklahoma for their third-ever Big 12 Championships on Friday. The championship competition will be hosted by Oklahoma State at the Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course.
The event gets underway on Friday, October 31, at 8:00 a.m. MST with the women's 6k, which will be followed by the men's 8k at 9:00 a.m. MST. The top 15 individual finishers in each race will be named to the All-Big 12 Team. Live results for both races can be found here. The meet will also be broadcasted on ESPN+ ($) on Friday starting at 8:00 a.m. MST and can be found here.
The last time the Wildcats were in action, the men took sixth place, and the women took 27th at the Under Armour Pre-National Invitational in Terre Haute, IN. Sophomore Evans Tanui led the men and finished 11th overall in the 8k. Vincent Gwachi, Josphat Meli, Hanibal Haile, and Lawi Ngetich rounded out the scoring for the men. The men earned 244 points, which was good for a sixth-place finish in a field that was full of top-25 opponents.
On the women's side, freshman Mercy Chepkemoi led the Wildcats and finished fifth overall in the 6k with a time of 19:19.1. This mark earned her Big 12 Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week honors. Laina Friedmann, Praise Chepkemoi, Audra Huemphner, and Kayla Lark rounded out the scoring for the women. The women earned 692 points, which was good for a 27th place finish.
Meet Schedule:
All times are Central.
9:40 AM - First gun fired (indicating 20 minutes to start)
9:50 AM - Second gun fired (Women to the starting line)
10:00 AM - Women's 6k championship race
10:40 AM - First gun fired (indicating 20 minutes to start)
10:50 AM - Second gun fired (Men to the start line)
11:00 AM - Men's 8k championship race
12:00 PM - Awards
Other Competing Teams:
Arizona State, Baylor, BYU (Men No. 5, Women No. 1), Cincinnati, Colorado (Men No. 3, Women No. 10), Houston, Iowa State (Men No. 20, Women No. 18), Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State (Men No. 2, Women No. 7), TCU, Texas Tech, UCF, Utah (Women No. 16), and West Virginia.
A meet recap will be posted detailing the competition results. Live updates will also be posted to @ArizonaTrack on X.
RUNNERS
MEN
Kai Espinosa Golinski, Collin Foley, Vincent Gwachi, Hanibal Haile, Ryder James, Josphat Meli, Lawi Ngetich, Osian Perrin, Evans Tanui, Levi Taylor, Michael Urbanski, Melt Von Molendorff
WOMEN
Mercy Chepkemoi, Praise Chepkemoi, Kennedy Frakes, Laina Friedmann, Brooklyn Hanania, Audra Huempfner, Ellie Kortenkamp, Kayla Lark, Amelia North, Anna Ptaszek, Hailey Puklin
FOLLOW ARIZONA CROSS COUNTRY
Stay connected with Arizona Cross Country throughout the season by following @ArizonaTrack on X and Instagram. For the latest news, results and updates, visit ArizonaWildcats.com.
The event gets underway on Friday, October 31, at 8:00 a.m. MST with the women's 6k, which will be followed by the men's 8k at 9:00 a.m. MST. The top 15 individual finishers in each race will be named to the All-Big 12 Team. Live results for both races can be found here. The meet will also be broadcasted on ESPN+ ($) on Friday starting at 8:00 a.m. MST and can be found here.
The last time the Wildcats were in action, the men took sixth place, and the women took 27th at the Under Armour Pre-National Invitational in Terre Haute, IN. Sophomore Evans Tanui led the men and finished 11th overall in the 8k. Vincent Gwachi, Josphat Meli, Hanibal Haile, and Lawi Ngetich rounded out the scoring for the men. The men earned 244 points, which was good for a sixth-place finish in a field that was full of top-25 opponents.
On the women's side, freshman Mercy Chepkemoi led the Wildcats and finished fifth overall in the 6k with a time of 19:19.1. This mark earned her Big 12 Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week honors. Laina Friedmann, Praise Chepkemoi, Audra Huemphner, and Kayla Lark rounded out the scoring for the women. The women earned 692 points, which was good for a 27th place finish.
Meet Schedule:
All times are Central.
9:40 AM - First gun fired (indicating 20 minutes to start)
9:50 AM - Second gun fired (Women to the starting line)
10:00 AM - Women's 6k championship race
10:40 AM - First gun fired (indicating 20 minutes to start)
10:50 AM - Second gun fired (Men to the start line)
11:00 AM - Men's 8k championship race
12:00 PM - Awards
Other Competing Teams:
Arizona State, Baylor, BYU (Men No. 5, Women No. 1), Cincinnati, Colorado (Men No. 3, Women No. 10), Houston, Iowa State (Men No. 20, Women No. 18), Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State (Men No. 2, Women No. 7), TCU, Texas Tech, UCF, Utah (Women No. 16), and West Virginia.
A meet recap will be posted detailing the competition results. Live updates will also be posted to @ArizonaTrack on X.
RUNNERS
MEN
Kai Espinosa Golinski, Collin Foley, Vincent Gwachi, Hanibal Haile, Ryder James, Josphat Meli, Lawi Ngetich, Osian Perrin, Evans Tanui, Levi Taylor, Michael Urbanski, Melt Von Molendorff
WOMEN
Mercy Chepkemoi, Praise Chepkemoi, Kennedy Frakes, Laina Friedmann, Brooklyn Hanania, Audra Huempfner, Ellie Kortenkamp, Kayla Lark, Amelia North, Anna Ptaszek, Hailey Puklin
FOLLOW ARIZONA CROSS COUNTRY
Stay connected with Arizona Cross Country throughout the season by following @ArizonaTrack on X and Instagram. For the latest news, results and updates, visit ArizonaWildcats.com.
Players Mentioned
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