Omaha, Neb.--The USM men's and women's cross-country team continue to trend in the right direction as they had an excellent weekend in Omaha, competing in the NAIA Blazing Tiger Classic on Saturday, October 25th. 

Spire men (#11) dominated the course taking 1st overall out of the 26 teams that competed, defeating multiple nationally ranked opponents such as #4 College of Idaho and #15 Doane University. Senior Kenneth Howell finished 4^th overall out of 341 runners with a time of 24:50 in the 8,000-meter race, with Spire teammates Austin Howell, Jonah Godina, and Derebe Carr finished closely behind in 11^th, 13^th, and 14^th place respectively.
 
Spire women (#13) were equally as dominate, finishing 2^nd as a team (75 points) in the 6,000-meter race falling only to #9 College of Idaho and beating #15 Kansas Wesleyan University and #19 Benedictine College (Kan.).

Senior leader and familiar face Josie Tyrrell finished in 2^nd out of 275 runners with a final time of 21:16. Tyrrell was followed by fellow Spires Abigail White (22:18), Carly Holadia (22:24), and Serenity Larson (22:38) who all finished strong at 13^th, 15^th, and 21^st place respectively.

Head coach Alstin Benton is thrilled with how his runners are looking and what they're still chasing this season, stating "Our team is really starting to shape up into who we want to be toward the end of our season, and we're really eager to see how we can continue to excel heading into nationals."

For further results, splits, and team scores please visit Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic - Oct 25, 2025 | Black Squirrel Timing.

Your Spire cross-country team will take this week to train and recover with their sights set on a huge opportunity for success at the KCAC Cross-Country Championships on Saturday, November 8^th. USM won't travel far, as the Spires are set to host this event on campus in Leavenworth, Kansas with the women's race beginning at 10:00 a.m. with the men to follow at 11:00 a.m.