DALLAS – The 2025 Conference USA Cross Country Championships are set to take place Saturday morning at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama, hosted by Middle Tennessee and the Huntsville Sports Commission. Fans can watch both races on ESPN+, starting with the women’s 6k at 9:04 a.m. C.T., followed by the men’s 8k at 10:04 a.m. C.T.

CUSA Cross Country Championship Central

2025 CUSA Cross Country Championships
Hosted by MTSU and Huntsville SC in Huntsville, Ala.
Saturday, November 1 | Live Results
Women’s 6k Race | 9:04 a.m. CT | ESPN+
Men’s 8k Race | 10:04 a.m. CT | ESPN+
Awards Ceremony | Conclusion of men’s race

On the women’s side, Liberty came in as the preseason favorite, leading the conference with nine first-place votes. The Flames have been led by sophomore Allie Zealand in all four regular season meets, each in which she has finished inside the top five. Her performances on the course this season have earned her three CUSA Athlete of the Week titles. Last year, Zealand finished third at the conference meet, helping Liberty secure the 2024 women’s CUSA Championship.

Middle Tennessee’s women’s program started as the preseason runners-up, also receiving three first-place votes. Last year, the Blue Raiders boasted the individual women’s champion in Odilia Jepchumba and finished second as a team. This season, senior Faith Nyathi has led MTSU, collecting two individual wins and helping the team secure two top five finishes. She was named CUSA’s Women’s Athlete of the Week on Sept. 16 after her performance at the Southern Showcase where she finished third in a field of 481, running a 5k personal best of 16:35.2.

Kennesaw State and Jax State are also two women’s teams to look out for this weekend. Despite finishing third and seventh respectively in the preseason poll, the Owls and Gamecocks both currently top Middle Tennessee in the women’s South Region rankings following their most recent meets. Kennesaw State has held the 11^th spot in the region since the team’s week two performance at the Southern Showcase where they finished fifth out of 53 programs. The Owls have been paced by junior Madison Seiler who recorded two top five finishes this season and led Kennesaw State to its first team title since 2009 at the Louisville Cross Country Classic. Last season, the Kennesaw State women’s program finished third overall, just two points behind Middle Tennessee.

The Gamecocks hold the 15^th spot in the South Region rankings and have been consistent in the CUSA weekly awards, earning the first Women’s Athlete of the Week honor and collecting four Women’s Freshman of the Week titles. Jax State’s freshmen trio of Mercy Jebet, Viola Jepleting and Jepkirui Kurgoi have been consistent leaders for the Gamecocks and will look to propel them in the championships.  

Two women’s teams will be making their Conference USA championship debut, including Delaware and Missouri State. The Blue Hens have had a strong first season in CUSA and currently hold the 14^th spot in the women’s Mid-Atlantic Region rankings.  

Among the men’s programs, MTSU and Liberty entered the season as co-favorites. The Flames’ men’s program won the championship last year, completing Liberty’s conference sweep. Nicholas Kiprotich has been a consistent top finisher for the Flames and is Liberty’s sole Men’s Athlete of the Week winner this season. The redshirt-senior finished seventh overall at last year’s conference meet.

Middle Tennessee has seen a lot of success so far this season, finishing as a top three team in three of its four regular season meets. The team is currently ranked fifth in the men’s South Region and has even received votes in the national poll. MTSU was home to last year’s individual men’s champion Allan Kiplagat, who paced his competition by over 20 seconds. Kiplagat has continued to lead the Blue Raiders this season, recording four top five individual finishes while competing against some of the best collegiate runners and earning one CUSA Men’s Athlete of the Week title.

An individual contender for the men’s championship and last year’s runner-up is Kennesaw State’s Collins Kipkemboi. Kipkemboi has been very successful this season, finishing within the top five at every meet and earning three Athlete of the Week honors.

The Owls entered the season ranked third in the preseason poll. They currently sit at 13^th in the men’s South Region, one place behind Jacksonville State who came into the year ranked fourth in the conference. Last season, the Gamecocks finished third at the championship while Kennesaw State held the fifth-place position.

Teams also making some regional noise include New Mexico State and UTEP’s men’s programs sitting 13^th and 14^th respectively in the Mountain Region, as well as the Aggies women’s team who is 15^th.

Following the conference meet, teams will have the opportunity to compete at their regional championships. The top two teams from each region will then automatically qualify for the NCAA Championship meet, along with the first four additional individuals. To complete the championship field, the NCAA DI Cross Country Subcommittee then chooses 14 at-large teams based on regional and season performances. The NCAA Championships this year will be held at the Gans Creek Recreation Area Cross Country Course in Columbia, Missouri, hosted by Mizzou.

2025 Men’s Athlete of the Week
S2        Collins KipKemboi, Kennesaw State
S16       Allan Kiplagat, MTSU
S23       Nicholas Kiprotich, Liberty
S30       Meshack Kosgei, Jacksonville State
O7        Collins Kipkemboi, Kennesaw State
O14      Brayden Vining, LA Tech
O21      Collins Kipkemboi, Kennesaw State

2025 Men’s Freshman of the Week
S2         Nolan McGregor, Jacksonville State
S16       Nelbat Kirwa, Jacksonville State
S23       Eli Julian, Liberty
S30       Nelbat Kirwa, Jacksonville State
O7         Solomon Sayo, MTSU
O14       Brayden Vining, LA Tech
O21       Nelbat Kirwa, Jacksonville State

2025 Women’s Athlete of the Week
S2         Mercy Jebet, Jacksonville State
S16       Faith Nyathi, MTSU
S23       Allie Zealand, Liberty
S30       Valerie Lastra, FIU
O7         Allie Zealand, Liberty
O14       Delaney Lopez, LA Tech
O21       Allie Zealand, Liberty

2025 Women’s Freshman of the Week
S2         Mercy Jebet, Jacksonville State
S16       Jepkurui Kurgoi, Jacksonville State
S23       Mackenzie Babcock, Liberty
S30       Mercy Jebet, Jacksonville State
O7         Samantha McGarity, Kennesaw State
O14       Mallory Swint, LA Tech
O21       Viola Jepleting, Jacksonville State