ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) will crown its 2025 men's cross country champion on Saturday.
The 11-team men's eight-kilometer conference championship race is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. at the Highland 9 Cross Country Trailhead in St. Paul. The 2025 MIAC Cross Country Championships will be the second conference championship meet held at the Highland 9 (2022), as well as only the second off-campus location for the race since the MIAC's nearly two-decade tenure at Como Park from 1998-2016. Augsburg, Hamline, and St. Catherine are the designated hosts for the 2025 conference meet.
The men's championships will precede the 12-team MIAC women's 6K race, which is set to begin at noon on Saturday.
CHAMPIONSHIP 101
St. Olaf won its 12th MIAC title in program history - and the Oles' third in a row - last fall. Eight different schools have won MIAC men's cross country championships since 1947. St. Thomas holds the MIAC men's cross country record for the most team championships at 24. St. Olaf won five consecutive MIAC men's titles from 2012-16, and Carleton claimed four straight from 2017-21. Hamline is the last non-Northfield program to have won the MIAC championship, as the Pipers took three consecutive conference crowns from 2009-11.
The Oles won both the men's and women's team titles at the 2024 Cross Country Championships, marking the first time that feat had been achieved since Carleton swept both cross country crowns in three consecutive seasons from 2017-19.
St. Thomas holds the record for the most individual champions at 17, though Macalester and St. Olaf are not far behind with 14 apiece, and Saint John's has tallied 13 race winners. Mohammed Bati (Dodola, Ethiopia | GAP School) became Augsburg's first-ever MIAC men's individual champion in 2022 and no other conference competitor has been able to pass him since. Bati has been the MIAC's top finisher at each of the last three men's championships, and will have the opportunity to become the first four-time individual champion in recorded MIAC Men's Championship history this weekend.
HANDING OUT THE HARDWARE
Once the results of the 2025 MIAC Cross Country Championship are tabulated and deemed final, a short awards ceremony for both women's and men's races will follow around 1:00 p.m. The top 15 runners in each race will be honored with All-Conference distinction, while runners finishing in places 16-to-25 will be named Honorable Mention. The championship team will also be honored with the presentation of the MIAC Championship trophy.
Individual awards for Athlete, Rookie, and Coach of the Year will be formally announced on Thursday, November 6.
CHAMPIONSHIP APPAREL
Official championship apparel for the 2025 MIAC Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships is on sale now. The limited-time online store powered by UNRestricted MKTG features short-sleeve t-shirts, long-sleeve t-shirts, and hooded sweatshirts to commemorate the 2025 conference championship meet. Orders will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on Monday, November 3, and will ship 10-14 days after the store closes. Official 2025 MIAC Cross Country Championship apparel can be ordered here.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
There is no admission fee to attend the MIAC Cross Country Championships. Parking is available on both sides of Montreal Avenue, Edgecumbe Road, and neighborhoods around the golf courses. Bicycles and non-service animals are strictly prohibited at the course. Please leave bikes and pets at home.
Fans who are not traveling to St. Paul will have access to unofficial results soon after the action concludes, courtesy of Wayzata Results.
The MIAC has a championship home page for the event, which will include results and photos as they become available.
| Championship Home Page | Top Times | Course Map | Parking | Unofficial Meet Results | Apparel |
AROUND THE MIAC
Augsburg senior Mohammed Bati (Dodola, Ethiopia / GAP School) claimed a 35.5-second victory at the four-kilometer Kent Finanger Invitational on 10/11. Bati took home top honors for the 17th time in his collegiate career by crossing the finish line in 11:51.4. He has won each of his three previous MIAC Championship races.
Bethel sophomore Hootie Hage (Prior Lake, Minn. / Prior Lake) placed fourth overall at the Hamline Invitational on 9/12 with an 8K time of 27:00.00 while running on the MIAC Cross Country Championship course.
Carleton senior Gabe Nichols (Grove City, Pa. / Grove City) led the way for the Knights at the Interregional Invitational on 10/18 with a season-best time of 25:07.09 on the 8K course. Nichols has placed among the top six finishers at each of the last two MIAC Cross Country Championships.
Concordia junior Tyler Goss (Devils Lake, N.D. / Devils Lake) was the top individual finisher at the Dragon Twilight on 9/5, crossing the finish line in 17:25.50, good for the fastest 6K time in the MIAC this season.
Gustavus junior Nick Brauer (Mankato, Minn. / East) led the Gusties at the Kent Finanger Invitational on 10/11 with a time of 12:26.9, good for a runner-up result in the 4K race. Brauer's top 8K time of 25:45.0 is the 16th-fastest finish in the MIAC this fall.
Hamline sophomore Wade Tuggle (St. Paul, Minn. / Johnson) set a PR with a time of 29:22.6 at the Blugold Invitational on 10/3. Tuggle has been the Pipers' top finisher at all four of the team's meets this season.
Macalester sophomore John Ihrke (Northbrook, Ill. / Glenbrook North) opened the season with a victory in the men's 5K race at the Ole Opener on 8/29. Ihrke covered the course in 15:59.4 and helped the Scots claim the team title at the meet for the third consecutive year. The win was the first of Ihrke's collegiate cross country career and a more than 20-second improvement over his finish at last year's Ole Opener.
Saint John's junior Cole Stencel (Mapleton, Minn. / Maple River) ran a personal-best 5K time of 15:34.3 to finish first in the 52-runner field at the Toni St. Pierre Invitational on 9/5. His 5K time is the fastest in the MIAC this season and bettered his previous personal record by six seconds. Stencel's best time at the 8K distance this fall is 25:32.5, and ranks 12th in the MIAC.
Saint Mary's junior Isaiah Fitzgerald (Rochester, Minn. / Stewartville) recorded a season-best time of 27:09.2 at the Interregional Invitational on 10/18. He has been the Cardinals' top finisher at all four of the team's meets this season.
St. Olaf senior Kevin Turlington (Rochester, Minn. / Lourdes) finished third in a personal-best time of 24:07.49 to lead the way for the Oles at the Connecticut College Invitational on 10/18 in a field that included 12 nationally-ranked teams in interregional competition. Turlington's 8K time is the fastest in the MIAC this season and the third-fastest in program history. It was his fourth top-four finish in as many races this fall.
St. Scholastica senior Jeffrey Kayfes (Buhl, Minn. / Mountain Iron-Buhl) ran a season-best 8K time of 27:41.0 to lead the Saints at the Interregional Invitational on 10/18. Kayfes was also the team's first finisher at the Hamline Invitational on 9/12, while running on the Highland 9 course.