By MAYAN PAZ Photo by MAX BOWYER
Tiger Media Network
Fort Hays State University cross-country is getting to the final phase of the season. Last weekend, FHSU competed at the MIAA championships in St. Joseph, Mo., and kicked off post-season racing for the Tigers. Emily Diercks, a junior transfer from Colby Community College, has been outstanding for the Tigers this season and continued to perform at the most elite level, winning the individual MIAA title. This is the second season in a row that the women’s team has produced a cross-country MIAA champion after Regen Hodsden won the race in 2023.
“It’s an awesome feeling for me knowing that I won the MIAA championship,” Diercks said. “Going into the race, I didn’t know what to expect. It ended up being a big challenge for me mentally, having to run on such a difficult course and stay engaged with the competition the whole time. Becoming MIAA champion means a lot to me since I had to take a year off of competing last year due to injury, and I didn’t know what to expect at all going into this season. Winning this meet has given me a lot of my confidence back that I used to have.”
FHSU Head Cross Country Coach Jason McCullough said he expected Diercks to challenge for the title, but it’s never taken for granted to step up and show up to the occasion.
“She was definitely one of the favorites to win, and she stepped up and did what she was supposed to do,” he said.
Diercks took an early lead but faced a fierce battle from two Pittsburg State runners who stayed on her tail during the entire race. Battling with a hilly course, it was a mental race, and Diercks was able to push off all attempts from the runners chasing her and finished the 6-kilometer course in a time of 21:30, just four seconds ahead of Pitt State’s Marrica Dick.
Dericks led a team effort that resulted in the FHSU women finishing third in the overall team competition. Jaycee Vath finished seventh in the race and Taylor Hoskinson, who finished 14th, helped Dericks lead the team to their podium finish.
“I think the team exceeded expectations. We were only five points away from second place. The course was quite hilly, so competing was definitely a big mental battle, but despite that, everyone was able to push through and perform really well,” Diercks said.
The men’s team hoped to register a top-eight finish for themselves, and although they succeeded in their mission, they were left with a bitter-sweet sensation after the race, as they finished only 14 points behind the fourth place in the competition.
After some struggles throughout the season, the men came out of the race feeling confident about their abilities. Ethan Fisher, a senior on the team, summed up the feelings around the team.
“It was a huge confidence boost,” he said. “Some of us, including myself, faced some struggles this season, and it was an important milestone. I think we have a lot more to give going forward to regionals.”
The NCAA Central Reginal Championship will take place this weekend in Joplin, Mo., and the outcome of that race will determine the competitors for the NCAA national championships, individually and for the team.
McCullough explained that the women’s, currently ranked 23rd nationally, would have to finish in a top-five spot to qualify for the team competition. Diercks, on the other hand, needs to finish at the top of the individual race to secure her spot at the national championships, scheduled to take place in Sacramento.
The men’s team will go to the regional finals as underdogs, but as Fisher said, with the confidence boost that they have and a belief that they have much more in them, they will try to over-perform the expectations and challenge for a national qualifier spot.
The Central Region Championships begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Rutledge Cross Country Course in Joplin. The men will run first, with the women following at 11:15 a.m. The NCAA Championships will take place on November 23 in Sacramento.