Bella Meili Leads MNU to Win

North Newton, Kan. – The Pioneers plan was to race in Iowa "if the creek don't rise". Well, the creek did rise in the form of the Cedar River which is next to the cross country course in Iowa. However, that did not stop the Pioneers from competing as God provided another race, the Muthama-Rogers Invitational, hosted by Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas. The Pioneers had not been on this mostly flat course since 2024. On that day, back in 2024, the Pioneer women took home the runner-up status with the men not fielding a full scoring team. The Pioneers, with continued improvement over the years, were ready to move up the ranks with the top team honors in sight.
 
The Pioneer men hit the uneven footing of the course first with a strong start in mile one. The host, Bethel, was out quick as it dropped four harriers in the top 10. MidAmerica Nazarene landed three in the top 10 with Aidan Scherman setting the pace for the Pioneers. Gavin Williams and Jacob Hendrickson were close behind as the Pioneers went five, six, and ten, respectively. The Pioneers struck back as teammates Ray Kosgei and Ken Morgan surrounded the number five runner from Bethel. A few seconds back, Josiah Robinson was out very quickly, holding tightly to the sixth Bethel harrier and a competitor from Hesston. Eight places back, Jackson Elsey found himself alone but closing in on Tabor. Bryson DeLong was out to his fastest start of the season as he used a Bethany opponent to keep him driving.
 
By the fourth mile, the charging Pioneers had cut the lead of Bethel by nine points with only five points separating the top two teams. Bethel's lead runner, from the Kansas City area, had taken charge of the meet, but the Pioneers top harrier in Scherman was driving to close the gap. Bethel countered with their number two, but the Pioneers answered with Hendrickson and Williams slipping ahead of Bethel's number three. Both teams placed three in the top ten at this point of the race. Bethel would not relent as their number four was three places in front of the Pioneers' number four. Both the fourth and fifth Pioneer, Morgan and Kosgei, end of the team scoring, were working to catch Bethel's fourth as they drove away from Bethel's fifth. Robinson and Elsey were back-to-back at mile four with Elsey encouraging his teammate to fight the good fight. DeLong closed out the Pioneer team as he continued to race toward a personal record.
 
In the final mile, the Pioneers fought to catch the team that beat them at the Queen City After Dark meet, Bethel. However, the host was not having it. Bethel was able to hold position as the Pioneers, many running alone, could not close the gap of four points in an adjusted team score. However, the top five Pioneers all received awards for finishing in the top 20, overall. That included Scherman, who was the runner-up, Hendrickson, Williams, Morgan, and Kosgei, in that order. Elsey and Robinson closed out the top 7 followed by DeLong who was the lone Pioneer to set a personal best. The Pioneers ended up as the team runner-up to receive a meet plaque.
 
In the first mile, the Pioneer women quickly made a statement as the team to beat. Led by Bella Meili, the Pioneers had six harriers in the top 10. At the mile mark, Meili had just taken the lead with an athlete from Tabor and teammate Anna McKnight matching her stride, all within the same second. McKnight was followed by three Pioneers; Riley Filmore, Julia Swearengin, and Bailey Cook. The Pioneers had five in the top six with Tabor breaking up the perfect score. Bethel was directly behind Cook and Swearengin, but Kalana Smittick answered with a quick start at eighth. Tabor and Bethel filled the gap before Kennedy Krotzinger led Josephine McClung across the mile mark. The Pioneers held eight of the top 15 places at the mile for a comfortable team lead.
 
By mile two, the Pioneers held the first two places as Meili and McKnight led the charge. However, Tabor's top competitor would not be shaken, running a step behind McKnight. Bethel had slipped ahead of Swearengin and Cook with the Pioneers holding tight. Filmore and Smittick also slid back, though the Pioneers still had five in the top 10. Meanwhile, Krotzinger and McClung had held position while closing on Hesston. At this point, the Pioneer women had a commanding lead over the next team which was Tabor.
 
Driving to the line, the Pioneers were strong to the finish with Meili winning her second collegiate career cross country race. McKnight grabbed the bronze while Cook, Swearengin, and Filmore went fifth, sixth, and seventh, respectively. Five in the top 7 was a clear win for the Pioneers. Smittick crossed the line next in 11th with McClung and Krotzinger taking 13th and 15th. Along with winning the team title, all the Pioneer women finished in the top 20 to earn meet awards.
 
Even with a change in plans, the Pioneers were able to grab two team awards as well as thirteen individual awards, a personal best, and four personal course bests from those who previously raced here; Morgan, Meili, McKnight, and Swearengin.