Springfield, Mo.— Spire Cross-Country left their mark at the 2026 KCAC Cross-Country Championships hosted by the Evangel Valor this afternoon, Saturday, November 11 in Springfield, Missouri.

The USM men continued their historic run, capturing their 14th consecutive KCAC Championship title, while the Spire women secured a second-place finish overall with 46 points, finishing just behind the Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes (33).

For the full list of finishers in Springfield, view the official meet results.

Serenity Desrosier Larson made the most of her final conference outing as a Spire, capturing the individual KCAC Championship after finishing first overall among 102 competitors. Larson clocked an impressive 21:20.06 in the women's 6K.

Ava Klaassen was the next Spire to cross the finish line, securing fourth overall with a time of 22:21.36. Mesa Casper followed closely behind a pair of Coyotes, earning eighth place overall in 22:56.03.

Shelby Lingle finished strong in her last conference outing, finishing 11^th overall with a 23:04.26 final. Norah Watkins and Katie Cameron would take 13^th and 14^th place, finishing 23:12.85 and 23:15.60, respectively. Lilly Richardson would round out the top 20 overall, coming in 16^th place and marking a 23:28.10 final.

On the men's side, the Spires continued to dominate the conference, led by Derebe Carr, who maintained his impressive season with a second-place individual finish among 129 competitors. Carr clocked 24:35.17 in the men's 8K, helping lead USM to its 14th straight conference championship.

Landon Englert finished 4^th overall this morning, marking a final time of 24:50.30 on the season's biggest stage so far. Mohamed Elgossy would fight to the finish to come in 8^th overall and earn a 24:59.78 final mark.

The Spires then took over the leader board, claiming four consecutive spots from 11th through 14th. Jorge Perez-Ruiz led the group, finishing 11th overall in 25:03.88. Jacob Lindstrom followed in 12th with a time of 25:05.73, while James White III and Camden Bachman finished 13th and 14th, respectively. White clocked 25:08.32, with Bachman close behind at 25:11.20.

Brayden Marcotte 17^th place, Cody Ford 19^th, and Austin Howell 20^th would round out the top 20 conference athletes. Marcotte would finish at a 25:19.27-mark, Ford would earn himself a 25:37.39 finish, with Howell coming in at a 25:40.44 final.
 
Coming Up…

The biggest stage—or course—of the season remains as USM prepares for the 71st Annual Men's and 47th Annual Women's NAIA National Cross-Country Championships at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver, Washington.

The Spires will compete against some of the nation's best on Friday, November 20, as they look to carry their conference success onto the national stage.