SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tabor College Cross Country had the opportunity to compete at the 2026 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) Cross Country Championships hosted by Evangel University at the Allison Sports Town in Springfield, Mo. on Saturday.
 
"From an overall point of view this was an outstanding day for both of our programs", remarked Director of Cross County and Track and Field, Aaron Yoder. "Every single runner on both teams posted a personal record, and most of them ran lifetime bests. Coach Morwood and I were very pleased with those results"
 
On the Women's side, freshman standout Harper Brickley had an outstanding race, finishing with a lifetime best time of 23:30, good for 17^th place, a spot on the KCAC All-Conference team, and a trip to the 2026 NAIA Cross Country National Championships. Julianna Maxfield followed with a 35^th place finish, running a time of 24:39.6. Daysha Allison (25:27.4), Lauryn Turner (26:07.5), and Addelyn Turpin (26:10.3) formed a nice pack in the middle, finishing 49^th, 54^th, and 55^th respectively. Jayden Piepho (61^st, 27:26.1) and Rebekah Hernandez-Paz (28:00.9) rounded out the scoring for the Bluejay Women, while Addison Jost (78^th, 29:37.5), Rory Hawk (82^nd, 31:03.3), and Ella Neighbors (89^th, 32:57.1) also had a solid day on the course. Overall, the Bluejay Women finished 5^th of 12 total teams.
 
The Men were also led by a freshman, with Ethan Tolbert leading the way, taking 48^th place and running his personal best with a time of 27:01.6. Gabriel Decker (56^th, 27:29.9) and Wade Ratzlaff (65^th, 27:53.5) finished closely behind, while Ethan Thompson (71^st, 28:16.8), Kyler Webb (73^rd, 28:17.7), and David Rodriguez (75^th, 28:30.5) held a nice pack, with Rodriguez providing the tiebreaker for the Bluejay Men to take 6^th place overall out of 13 total teams. Jacob Buller (88^th, 29:26.8), Samuel Andres (98^th, 30:15.7), Holden Switzer (106^th, 32:12.0), Taegen Gallagher (108^th, 32:33.4), Malakie Laws (112^th, 34:21.1), and Xavier Lee (113^th, 34:27.4) also had a solid day, each recording their personal best.
 
The Bluejays return to action on November 20^th, as freshman Harper Brickley makes her debut at the NAIA National Championships in Vancouver, Wash.
 
Be sure to stay up to date with all information regarding Bluejay Athletics by following us on X at @gotaborbluejays, on Instagram and Facebook @taborbluejays, and on our official athletic website, taborbluejays.com.
 
Tabor College is a Christ-centered institution located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The Bluejays are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and compete in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC).