Siloam Springs, Ark. – College of the Ozarks turned in strong performances at the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) Cross Country Championships on Saturday, at Pollards Field in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. The Lady Cats earned a third-place team finish, while the Bobcats placed fourth. Leading the way for C of O were senior Keena Goze, who finished fourth in the women’s race, and sophomore Nolyn Corder, who placed eighth in the men’s race. Both competitions featured nine scoring teams. Highlighting their outstanding performances, Nolyn Corder, Keena Goze, and Emilie Froebe earned qualifying spots at the NAIA Cross Country National Championships. Additionally, Corder, Goze, Froebe, and Tia Bethards received All-Conference honors in recognition of their impressive performances at meet.

The Lady Cats totaled 79 points in the women’s 6,000-meter race, edging fourth-place Oklahoma Panhandle State by three points. Goze paced the team with an impressive fourth-place finish, crossing the line in 22:14.36. Junior Emilie Zylstra followed with a seventh-place finish in 23:14.10, giving Ozarks two runners among the top 10. Junior Tia Bethards added a strong performance, finishing 13th in 24:06.82. Together, the Lady Cats' top three runners contributed just 24 points to the team total.

Freshmen Khloe Clemence and Ella Howard rounded out the Lady Cats' scoring five, finishing in consecutive positions. Clemence placed 29th with a time of 25:15.03, while Howard followed in 30th at 25:44.94. Their performances secured the team's third-place finish, with the top five runners separated by just 3:30.6.

The Lady Cats continued to show depth throughout the remainder of the field, with several runners finishing close together. Emma Dixon placed 32nd in 25:56.04, followed by Aryssa Speights in 34th at 26:11.23 and Acacia Sorenson in 37th at 26:16.42. The trio finished within just over 20 seconds of one another. Gracie Vestal rounded out the Lady Cats' finishers, placing 40th in 27:27.08.

On the men's side, the Bobcats secured a fourth-place team finish with 134 points in the 8,000-meter race. Corder led the way with an eighth-place finish, completing the course in 25:08.16. Junior Carson Knight followed in 21st place with a time of 26:13.00.

Freshmen Cody Henderson and Landon Jones were the next Bobcats across the finish line, placing 45th in 27:56.99 and 51st in 28:17.68, respectively. Sophomore Ethan Howard completed the team's scoring five with a 58th-place finish in 28:38.12. Henderson, Jones and Howard finished within 41.13 seconds of one another, helping the Bobcats secure their fourth-place standing. The team's top five runners were separated by 3:30.0.

The remaining Bobcats also contributed solid efforts to close out the conference championship. Nate Van Foeken finished 61st in 29:10.99, followed by Michael Kincaid in 64th at 29:30.85 and Trayden Bailey in 65th at 29:42.27. Brady Rose rounded out the men's finishers, placing 76th with a time of 32:08.81.

Oklahoma City University claimed both team championships, scoring 28 points in the women's race and 35 points in the men's competition. Individually, Oklahoma City's Kenzi Readnour captured the women's title in 21:04.06, while Mohamed Guled of Mid-America Christian won the men's race in 23:31.54.

The College of the Ozarks cross country teams concluded the conference championships with strong team finishes, highlighted by multiple top-15 individual performances and a third-place showing for the Lady Cats.

Both teams now set their sights on the NCCAA National Championship meet which will be held in Joplin, Missouri on Friday, November 13.