By Marissa Essenburg | Sports Writer
After a regular season filled with record-setting performances on both the men’s and women’s sides, Baylor cross country is set for its toughest test yet: the Big 12 Championships in Lawrence, Kan.
Under head coach David Barnett, the Bears have steadily built momentum throughout the fall — marked by personal-best times, breakout performances and depth on both the men’s and women’s sides. Now entering the postseason stretch, Baylor aims to convert that progress into a statement against one of the deepest distance-running conferences in the nation.
After being shorthanded in their first two meets, the Bears closed out the regular season at the Arturo Barrios Invitational in College Station, fielding a full lineup of seven men and 12 women against 36 schools. Baylor finished strong, with the women placing 16th and the men 27th in a loaded field that featured several nationally ranked programs.
Led by sophomores Ruth Kimeli, back in top form with an eighth-place finish running 19:44 in the women’s 6K, and Jack Sterrett, who placed 109th of 323 in the men’s 8K at 24:42, the Bears enter the Big 12 Championships eager to prove their progress can stand up on the conference stage.
“Ruth had a great race,” Barnett said. “She was racing against some of the top women in the country. Really pleased at how she competed, and I think her best races are still in front of her, too.”
For Baylor cross country, the story of the fall has been written by underclassmen on both sides — runners who traded inexperience at the college level for steady growth and impact, helping push the Bears into postseason contention.
Following the race, Barnett said the women’s squad is close to breaking through.
“Overall, we’re just one person away from really getting over the top and doing what we want to do,” Barnett said. “Over the next couple weeks, hopefully we get some people healthy and just keep piecing it together, because if we have five women on the day, I think we’ll be pretty good.”
Rising to become the team’s No. 2 runner with a 30-second improvement from her previous race, freshman Rachel Haws has emerged as one of Baylor’s biggest stories of consistent growth, improving from an 89th-place finish (22:10.8) at the Gans Creek Classic to a personal-best 21:38.5 in College Station.
Sophomore Ella Perry has mirrored that consistency, following an 88th-place finish (22:09.9) at Gans Creek with another strong showing in College Station. Sophomore Sally Corder, who ran 23:33.2 in Missouri, also trimmed significant time to post 21:58.1, while Rickeisha Simms, in her first-ever collegiate race, rounded out the scoring five in 22:27.9 — a debut that underscored the team’s growing depth down the stretch.
The growth also extended to the men’s side, where a pair of freshmen broke the 27-minute mark to help pace the Bears. Caleb McCarver (25:54.2) and Amon Malakwen (26:12.0) — making his collegiate debut — finished next for Baylor, while sophomore Caden Biltz closed out the scoring five in 26:26.8.
“I think we have to keep improving as far as getting a little bit fitter over the next couple weeks,” Barnett said.
Since returning to Waco in July and integrating a wave of new faces, Baylor cross country has found its rhythm — training hard, racing consistently and building steady momentum on both sides in its first three meets. Now, with the Big 12 championships on the horizon, the Bears are aiming to peak at the right time and earn a spot at the NCAA South Central Regional.
“The conference is not getting any easier, so I think it’s so important to race against good people,” Barnett said after the Arturo Barrios Invitational. “You can race against people that are maybe a little bit slower than you, and you can maybe feel good about it. But it’s not really what you need to get ready for the championship. So, this race was really important to [us].”
Looking to turn the tables in October, the Bears will focus on training and recovery as the postseason begins next week with the Big 12 championships Oct. 31 in Lawrence, Kan.
