JOPLIN (Nov. 04) — Winona State’s Lindsay Cunningham was untouchable again today as she stormed to her third consecutive victory at the NCAA DII Central Region Cross Country Championships, hosted on the Tom Rutledge XC Course in Joplin.
Dominating her rivals throughout the season, Cunningham added another title to her name this weekend, clinching the women’s 6k individual gold with a time of 19:33.28.
Deploying her characteristic aggressive start, the Winona State senior seized the lead right from the race’s initial meters and maintained her front-running position at every split — including the one-mile mark clocked at 5:02.7, and 3k recorded at 9:42.4.
Winona State, ranked sixth, effortlessly secured the women’s team title garnering 52 points, with Cunningham’s teammates trailing her to the finish line; Kaylee Beyer (20:32.5) in third, Sophia Taarud (21:01.2) in eighth, McKenna Taylor (21:24.2) in 16th, and Kylie Anderson (21:39.6) in 24th.
No. 11 Augustana (S.D.) claimed the second spot in the team tally with 95 points, followed by No. 20 Pittsburg State with 128 points. No. 21 U-Mary (142) and the 27th ranked (and host) Missouri Southern (205) completed the top-5 roster.
This victory marked Winona State’s first automatic qualifying berth to the national championships since 2012.
On the men’s side, No. 5 East Central (Okla.) emerged victorious in the team category with 40 points, propelled by Peter Kipkemboi’s stellar 10k performance which saw him clinching the individual title with a time of 29:46.9.
No. 16 Pittsburg State secured the second spot with 112 points, showcasing a competitive field of athletes.
NCAA Division II Central Region Cross Country Championships
| Men 10k Run CC Individual Results 10k Race | |||
| PL | NAME | TEAM | TIME |
| 1 | Peter Kipkemboi | East Central | 29:46.9 |
| 2 | Ryan Hartman | Augustana (S.D.) | 29:51.5 |
| 3 | Amos Pkiach | East Central | 29:53.6 |
| 4 | David Kibet | Washburn | 29:53.8 |
| 5 | Gidieon Kimutai | Missouri Southern | 30:03.3 |
| 6 | Donald Kibet | Washburn | 30:07.2 |
| 7 | Matthew Oglesby | Pittsburg St. | 30:14.0 |
| 8 | Oliver Kiptoo | East Central | 30:32.8 |
| 9 | Brian Mitei | Central Missouri | 30:35.1 |
| 10 | Nate Mueller | NW Missouri | 30:39.9 |
| 11 | Drew Atkins | NW Missouri | 30:44.9 |
| 12 | Aspel Kiprob | East Central | 30:52.1 |
| 13 | Nick Abdalla | Nebraska-Kearney | 30:54.9 |
| 14 | Mason Strader | Pittsburg St. | 30:57.5 |
| 15 | Braden Zaner | Pittsburg St. | 31:01.6 |
| 16 | Paul Korir | East Central | 31:03.3 |
| 17 | Bryan O’Barr | Central Missouri | 31:03.5 |
| 18 | Myles Bach | Nebraska-Kearney | 31:06.0 |
| 19 | Jaime Diaz | Emporia St. | 31:07.8 |
| 20 | Luke Walling | Harding | 31:09.1 |
| Women 6k Run CC Individual Results 6k Race | |||
| PL | NAME | TEAM | TIME |
| 1 | Lindsay Cunningham | Winona State | 19:33.3 |
| 2 | Khot Juac | Sioux Falls | 20:26.1 |
| 3 | Kaylee Beyer | Winona State | 20:32.5 |
| 4 | MaKenna Thurston | Minnesota State | 20:52.2 |
| 5 | Regan Hodsden | Fort Hays St. | 20:55.2 |
| 6 | Alyssa Becker | U-Mary | 20:57.7 |
| 7 | Sophia Strange | Oklahoma Baptist | 21:00.2 |
| 8 | Sophia Taarud | Winona State | 21:01.2 |
| 9 | Andrijana Fundak | U-Mary | 21:04.2 |
| 10 | Ella Bakken | Augustana (S.D.) | 21:06.3 |
| 11 | Patricia Koma-Limo | Newman | 21:08.9 |
| 12 | Aubrey Surage | Augustana (S.D.) | 21:11.8 |
| 13 | Jaycee Vath | Fort Hays St. | 21:13.4 |
| 14 | Katie Byrd | Rogers State | 21:16.3 |
| 15 | Hannah Gibson | Pittsburg St. | 21:18.9 |
| 16 | McKenna Taylor | Winona State | 21:24.2 |
| 17 | Kristine Kalthoff | U-Mary | 21:25.2 |
| 18 | Ashley Overgaauw | Augustana (S.D.) | 21:26.6 |
| 19 | Kate Dawson | Pittsburg St. | 21:27.0 |
| 20 | Amanda Overgaauw | Augustana (S.D.) | 21:31.1 |
| Women 6k Run CC Team Scores | ||||
| PL | Team | Total Time | Avg. Time | Score |
| 1 | Winona State | 1:44:10 | 20:50 | 52 |
| 2 | Augustana (S.D.) | 1:47:08 | 21:25 | 95 |
| 3 | Pittsburg St. | 1:48:11 | 21:38 | 128 |
| 4 | U-Mary | 1:48:05 | 21:37 | 142 |
| 5 | Missouri Southern | 1:49:58 | 21:59 | 205 |
| 6 | Rogers State | 1:50:11 | 22:02 | 226 |
| 7 | Fort Hays St. | 1:50:21 | 22:04 | 266 |
| 8 | Sioux Falls | 1:50:21 | 22:04 | 268 |
| 9 | NW Missouri | 1:51:37 | 22:19 | 286 |
| 10 | Minnesota State | 1:51:16 | 22:15 | 295 |
| 11 | Minnesota-Duluth | 1:52:14 | 22:26 | 311 |
| 12 | East Central | 1:51:58 | 22:23 | 316 |
| 13 | Oklahoma Baptist | 1:51:55 | 22:23 | 325 |
| 14 | Nebraska-Kearney | 1:52:31 | 22:30 | 330 |
| 15 | Ouachita Baptist | 1:52:52 | 22:34 | 354 |
| Men 10k Run CC Team Scores | ||||
| PL | Team | Total Time | Avg. Time | Score |
| 1 | East Central | 2:32:08 | 30:25:00 | 40 |
| 2 | Pittsburg St. | 2:35:52 | 31:10:00 | 112 |
| 3 | NW Missouri | 2:36:46 | 31:21:00 | 125 |
| 4 | Washburn | 2:35:29 | 31:05:00 | 126 |
| 5 | Missouri Southern | 2:37:37 | 31:31:00 | 165 |
| 6 | Nebraska-Kearney | 2:38:30 | 31:42:00 | 179 |
| 7 | Augustana (S.D.) | 2:38:20 | 31:40:00 | 197 |
| 8 | Minnesota-Duluth | 2:39:40 | 31:56:00 | 206 |
| 9 | Harding | 2:41:10 | 32:14:00 | 286 |
| 10 | Central Missouri | 2:40:48 | 32:09:00 | 303 |
| 11 | Minnesota State | 2:43:01 | 32:36:00 | 348 |
| 12 | Fort Hays St. | 2:42:54 | 32:34:00 | 350 |
| 13 | MSU-Moorhead | 2:43:18 | 32:39:00 | 377 |
| 14 | Oklahoma Baptist | 2:43:19 | 32:39:00 | 378 |
| 15 | Missouri Western | 2:44:30 | 32:54:00 | 426 |
Click here for full results
