ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Griffon men's and women's cross country teams return to competition Saturday, Sept. 19, traveling to Joplin, Missouri, for the 37th Annual Southern Stampede at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course.
The men's 8K will begin the morning at 7:30 a.m., followed by the women's 5K at 8:10 a.m.
MoWest returns to the course after opening the 2026 season at the Griffon Twilight on Sept. 4 at the Griffon Cross Country Course.
On the men's side, Hemistone Kipngetich Cheruiyot made an immediate impact in his Griffon debut, winning the men's 6K with a time of 19:35.80. His performance highlighted the season-opening home meet for MoWest.
Saturday will mark the first 8K race of the season for the Griffon men, while the women will compete at the 5K distance for the second time this fall.
"The MOSO meet has always provided an opportunity for great competition and fast times," Head Coach Sean Gosewisch said. "It'll be our first big meet of the year and the first 8K for the men. I look forward to seeing how we perform as individuals and as a team."
Griffons Competing
The Griffon women competing Saturday will be Abigail Teeter, Bailey Cutler, Bethani Grove, Jade Wickwire, Kaleigh Harvey, Laila Munoz, Magdalena Jakubowska, Meagan Smith, Riley King and Brianna DeBord.
The Griffon men competing Saturday will be Bailey Taig, Benjamin Spears, Darren Linscott, Hemistone Kipngetich Cheruiyot, Henry Trumpp, Jack Collins, Jacob Driskill, Landon Fuller, Levi Coburn, Levi Huber, Pau Valderrama, Ruben Caceres, Ryan Ringgenberg, Sam Shipp, Tavon Stroup, Walter Randle, Westin Hess, Angelo Baez-Mahr and Will Gessmann.
Southern Stampede History
The Griffon men return to Joplin one year after making program history at the 35th Annual Southern Stampede. Pau Valderrama became the first Griffon men's cross country runner in program history to win a race, capturing the individual title at the Southern Stampede.
Valderrama's historic performance also earned recognition at both the national and conference levels. He was named the USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Men's National Athlete of the Week on Sept. 22, 2025, before earning MIAA Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors on Sept. 23.
Both MoWest cross country teams also finished inside the top 10 at the 2025 Southern Stampede.
The Griffons will look to build on that history Saturday as they return to the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course for the 36th edition of the Southern Stampede.
What's Next
Following the Southern Stampede, the Griffons will have a week off before returning to competition on Saturday, Oct. 3, at the 38th Annual Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The meet will be held at Agri Park.
