Women 6th, men 7th at MIAA meet

By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION

KEARNEY, Neb. – The Fort Hays State women’s cross country team placed sixth at the 2021 MIAA Championships on Saturday (Oct. 23) thanks to All-MIAA performances from Abigail Stewart and Brooke Navarro. The Tigers compiled 144 points among their top five runners, just nine shy of fifth-place Rogers State.

Abigail Stewart picked up her third-career all-conference honor with an 11th-place finish, crossing the line in 22:59.18. The junior was in 16th at the one-mile mark and climbed four spots to 12th at the five-kilometer mark before moving up one more spot over the final kilometer. Stewart previously earned All-MIAA honors once in cross country and once in track and field.

Brooke Navarro grabbed her second All-MIAA medal thanks to a 17th-place finish. The sophomore posted a time of 23:11.70 on the six-kilometer course at Kearney Country Club. She also placed in the top 20 at the 2019 conference championships.

Emily Salmans placed 26th with a time of 23:30.43, good for a new personal best time at the 6K distance. Jaycee Vath crossed the line in 24:01.64 to place 40th, while Mya Navarro rounded out the top five in 51st with a time of 24:27.50.

Nebraska-Kearney took the team championship with 74 points, while Emporia State’s Jenna Ramsey took home the individual crown with a time of 21:50.54.

Fort Hays State will return to the course in two weeks (Nov. 6) when the Tigers travel to Joplin, Mo. for the NCAA Division II Central Region Championships. The women’s six-kilometer race is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course.

Full FHSU Results
6th – Team – 144 points
11th – Abigail Stewart – 22:59.18
17th – Brooke Navarro – 23:11.70
26th – Emily Salmans – 23:30.43
40th – Jaycee Vath – 24:01.64
51st – Mya Navarro – 24:27.50
57th – Halle Johnson – 24:32.16
64th – Carson Pierce – 24:44.48
74th – Hayley Burks – 25:10.77
78th – Hannah Wiebe – 25:20.57
93rd – Darian Hudgeons – 26:07.88

Men

The Fort Hays State men’s cross country team placed seventh at the 2021 MIAA Championships on Saturday (Oct. 23) thanks to a sixth-place finish from senior Robbie Schmidt. The Tigers compiled 163 points between their top five runners, just two behind of sixth-place Emporia State.

Senior Robbie Schmidt picked up his first All-MIAA honor with his sixth-place finish after crossing the line in 24:50.35. The time was 42 seconds faster than his previous best at the eight-kilometer league meet set in 2019. He finished just three-tenths of a second behind UNK’s Myles Bach for fifth place.

Grant Bradley missed the all-conference podium by just three places, coming in 23rd with a time of 25:50.94. Jaret Pfizenmaier ran a season-best 26:30.01 to come in 40th, with Aaron Mangan two spots (42nd) and less than a second behind at 26:30.93. Gavin Brady rounded out the Tiger top five in 61st place with a time of 27:04.37.

With five runners in the top 20, Pittsburg State took home the team title with 44 points. Missouri Southern’s Ryan Riddle won the race by four seconds with a time of 24:28.42.

Fort Hays State will return to the course in two weeks (Nov. 6) when the Tigers travel to Joplin, Mo. for the NCAA Division II Central Region Championships. The men’s 10-kilometer race is scheduled to begin at 11:15 a.m. at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course.

Full FHSU Results
7th – Team – 163 points
6th – Robbie Schmidt – 24:50.35
23rd – Grant Bradley – 25:50.94
40th – Jaret Pfizenmaier – 26:30.01
42nd – Aaron Mangan – 26:30.93
61st – Gavin Brady – 27:04.37
66th – Javyn Contreras – 27:07.20
76th – Caleb Carrasco – 27:40.24
85th – Edwin Garcia – 28:13.92
91st – Trever Medina – 28:26.68