Oklahoma State Cross Country Reasserts Dominance at NCAA Regionals

Both the Oklahoma State men’s and women’s cross-country teams will be heading to the NCAA Championships after strong regional showings.

Brian Musau of Oklahoma State. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Oklahoma State men’s and women’s cross-country teams had a bit of unfinished business for after failing to win Big 12 titles last month.

The Cowboys won the team title while the Cowgirls finished second as both punched their tickets for the NCAA Championships with strong NCAA regional showings in Ames, Iowa. In addition, Brian Musau won the men’s individual crown and Billah Jepkirui won the women’s individual crown.

The Cowboys and Cowgirls head to Terre Haute, Ind., for the NCAA Championships on Nov. 21. The Cowboys are the defending national champions.

Cowboys, Cowgirls at NCAA Regionals

INCREDIBLE KICK TO TAKE THE REGIONAL TITLE‼️

Billah Jepkirui was 122nd after 1K, closing her final 1,000 meters in 2:49.3 to claim her second career NCAA Midwest Regional crown 🤠#GoPokes I #run4okstate https://t.co/Hfsfcckssf pic.twitter.com/KUigpl7Lvo

— Oklahoma State XC/T&F (@run4okstate) November 13, 2026

Musau extended OSU’s dominance in the individual crown with a time of 28:47.1 on the 10,000-kilometer course. It was the fifth straight year that a Cowboy has won the individual title, a streak that started with Isai Rodriguez in 2022. Musau’s teammate, Denis Kipngetich, won three straight individual titles in regionals from 2023-25. He finished second to Musau with a time of 28.50.0.

It was a flip from the Big 12 Championships, where Kipngetich ended Musau’s three-year reign as the individual winner.

The Cowboys on the team title with a score of 57 points, with four runners finishing in the Top 10. Jacob Deacon was eighth with a time of 28:56.8 and Adius Guadie was ninth with a time of 28:57.3. Henry Dover rounded out the scoring with a 38th-place finish and a time of 29:52.8.

Even with four Top 10 finishes, the Cowboys — ranked No. 3 in the country — only beat Big 12 rival and No. 10-ranked Iowa State by four points, as the Cyclones finished with 61 points.

Jepkirui ran a time of 19:18.9 on the six-kilometer course and won an NCAA regional individual title for the second time. The No. 8 Cowgirls couldn’t overcome the No. 25 Cyclones, as Iowa State won the team title with 72 points. The Cowgirls were second with 91 points, giving them an automatic berth in the NCAA Championships. The top five finishers in the team competition were ranked in the nation’s Top 30.

Maureen Rutoh also finished in the Top 5, managing a fourth-place finish with a time of 19:27.8. The rest of the Cowgirls that contributed to the second-place finish were Victoria Lagat, who was 25th with a time of 20:50.0; Gentry Turner, who was 30th with a time of 20:13.8; and Autumn Michalski, who was 31st with a time of 20:14.4.