FHSU Tiger Open – Saturday, Oct. 10 – (M) 9:15 a.m. CT – (W) 10 a.m. CT [Meet Info] [Live Results]
Hays, Kan. – Tiger Cross Country Course
 
D2 Pre-Nationals – Sunday, Oct. 11 (W) 10:15 a.m. CT [Meet Info] [Live Results]
Lawrence, Kan. – Rim Rock Farm

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SPLIT SQUAD, SPLIT WEEKEND
The Colorado School of Mines men's and women's cross country teams return to action this weekend with a split squad competing at two difference meets. A majority of the Oredigger runners are set to compete at the FHSU Tiger Open hosted by Fort Hays State in Kansas. That event takes place Saturday morning with the men running 8K at 9:15 a.m. CT while the women will run 5K at 10 a.m. CT. Then, on Sunday, a smaller group of Oredigger women will toe the line at D2 Pre-Nationals which is being run on the same course as the 2026 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence, Kan. – the home course of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. Sunday's women's race goes off at 10:15 a.m. CT.
 
WEATHER REPORT - SATURDAY
Race conditions in Hays, Kan., should be dry but will end up relatively warm. The high temperature for the day is forecasted at 88 degrees with things warming up into the mid-70s during the race. Wind speeds are projected just under 20 mph and humidity should be around 40-50 percent. It won't be the worst conditions ever raced, but the heat could take a toll on the field. Sunscreen and possibly a light outer-layer to shed later in the day would be recommended for those planning to attend.
 
WEATHER REPORT - SUNDAY
The situation looks to be similar further east on Sunday. A high of 87 degrees will be preceded by a race-time temperature near 80 degrees. Humidity again will be around 50 percent with a lighter wind under 15 mph. Compared to Colorado, Sunday's race will be warm and muggy for all involved.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Both races this weekend will have live results which are linked above and at www.minesathletics.com. There won't be any live video.
 
COURSE PREVIEW – TIGER XC COURSE
The Tiger Cross Country course is described as mostly flat. It is integrated with the Fort Hays State track & field facility, with the starting line on grass and the finish line on the actual track. The men's 8K essentially traverses between two and three loops around the complex. The women's 5K is similar but with one less loop. Mines raced the same course last year and the Oredigger men and women swept the team titles.
 
COURSE PREVIEW – RIM ROCK FARM
The home of University Kansas cross country teams is Rim Rock Farm which has an intriguing history. It was donated to KU in 20004, but the property was previously owned by former head track & field and cross country coach Bob Timmons. According to KU's homepage, the course is touted as challenging and unusual. It features two covered bridges along with specific hills, turns, and landmarks named for former Jayhawk greats. The course hosted the Big 12 Cross Country Conference Championships in 2006 and 2014. It was also the site of the 1998 NCAA Division I and II Cross Country Chamionships. As previously referenced, Rim Rock Farm will also host this year's DII championships.
 
HEADED TO HAYS
The Oredigger contingency headed to race at the FHSU Tiger Open is substantial. Mines' men entered in the 8K race include Brian Arndt, Nathanial Bartunek, James Beam, Calder Denham, Asher Feddock, Cole Fiorillo, Ty Forbes, Julien Frazier, Duncan Lorang, Owen Mangrum, Gael McClain Martinez, Andreas O'Malley, Chris Pietrak, Quinton Rodriguez, Jackson Rogers, Jack Sheehan, and Kai Wagner. Oredigger women entered to run the 5K event include Brooke Bundt, Kaitlyn Burns, Emma Chesterman, Gwenyth Elizalde, Maria Forster, Haley Hilderbrandt, Sasha Kelly, Reese Kindig, Lilly Lukens, Jemma Petrie, Sorrelle Salcido, Chloe Savoy, Kara Tokubo, Elsa Vessely, and Elise Wrenholt.
 
RIM ROCK CREW
There are 10 Oredigger women set to race at the national preview. Mines' list of entries features Gabi Boeckman, Angela Friedman, Emily LaMena, Josie Mejia, Madison Miles, Callen Nash, Olivia Olson, Katie Price, Olivia Tallent, and Sierra Wall.
 
THE SEASON SO FAR
Overall, Mines cross country has appeared at two events in 2026 to date. The season opener was the Roadrunners Invitational at Washington Park in Denver, Colo., on Sept. 19. There, the men finished second as a team, only trailing nationally-ranked Colorado. The Oredigger women were fourth overall. Cole Fiorillo was the top men's finisher after taking 14th. Chloe Savoy led the women in 19th place. On Sept. 25, eight Oredigger men raced at the Gan Creek Classic on the campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo. Then men's field featured 30 scoring teams and 27 of those squads were NCAA Division I teams. Mines claimed fourth overall. The only teams ahead were Arkansas, Tennessee, and Wichita State. Dawson Gunn was impressive after running the 8K course in 22:52.7 and taking 10th individually.
 
IN THE POLLS
There have been four iterations of the DII national cross country rankings including the preseason poll and three regular-season releases. The latest edition was unveiled on Oct. 7 and featured Mines' men at #2 in the nation while the women were ranked #3 in the nation. Wingate was at the top of the men's poll and Adams State was #1 on the women's list. Other RMAC teams in the top 10 included Adams State's men, Western Colorado's men, Western Colorado's women, and UCCS' women.
 
WALL ON WORLD STAGE
Over the summer, Sierra Wall showed out on the world stage. She started by winning the USATF United States U20 championship in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on June 18 at Hayward Field in Oregon. She did it with a lifetime best of 10:08.30. That punched her ticket to the World Athletics U20 Championships, also at Hayward Field. Wall advanced through prelims, finishing seventh in the first round with a time of 10:14.92. The Boulder, Colo., native eventually finished 14th in the world at the U20 level after running 10:21.21 in smoky conditions in Oregon.
 
TOP RETURNERS
The 2026 Colorado School of Mines men's and women's cross country rosters feature nine different individuals who have at least one all-American finish in either cross country or track & field in their respective careers. Oredigger all-Americans on the men's roster include Daniel Appleford, Brock Drengenberg, Ethan Grolnic, Dawson Gunn, Rowan Nicholas, Andreas O'Malley, and Braden Struhs. Most notable is Gunn who was the national runner-up in the indoor and outdoor 5K last season. Mines' all-American women are Emily LaMena and Sierra Wall. LaMena was the NCAA Division II Champion in the steeplechase last season. While all-Americans grab headlines, there is always a high likelihood of new names emerging on any Chris Siemers' coached team.
 
FRESH FACES
During the offseason, Head Coach Chris Siemers added 15 true freshmen to his squads. Newcomers for the men included Brian Arndt, Nathaniel Bartunek, Asher Feddock, Ty Forbes, Duncan Lorang, Owen Mangrum, and Grayson Milne. Fresh faces for the women are Kaitlyn Burns, Emma Chesterman, Gwenyth Elizalde, Reese Kindig, Madison Miles, Olivia Olson, Elsa Vessely, and Elise Wrenholt.
 
CHRIS SIEMERS
Colorado School of Mines Cross Country Head Coach Chris Siemers is in his 15th season at the helm for the Oredigger men and women. Headlining his resume are four NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships which Mines' men brought home in 2015, 2019, 2022, and 2024 along with a national runner-up finish for the women in 2025. Siemers' men's teams have had 30 individuals earn 56 cross country all-America honors. That has led to eight RMAC crowns (2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and seven NCAA South Central Regional titles (2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024). No men's team coached by Siemers has ever finished lower than fifth in the nation. On the women's side, 15 individuals have posted 21 cross country All-America finishes. As a team, the women earned their first national podium finish in 2019 by finishing third at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships. They added a second podium in 2021 by taking fourth place. The 2022 and 2023 seasons saw the women make it four straight podiums before a program-best finish of second in 2025. Mines' women also won its first-ever team title at the RMAC Championships in 2025 and have finished as high as #2 at the regional championships on multiple occasions.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The next race for Mines will be the Orediggers' regular-season finale at the UCCS XC Open on Oct. 24 in Colorado Springs.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines cross country on "X" (formerly Twitter) and Instagram at @csmtrack. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, "X" and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.