Kansas State University Athletics
Friday, October 17
Columbia, Mo.
10 a.m. (W) / 10:45 a.m. (M)
Kansas State University
at
Pre-National Invitational
Wildcats Stay Consistent with Pre-National Invitational
Oct 17, 2025 | Cross Country
Fisher and Miner continue to ink their name in the K-State top-25
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The K-State men's and women's cross country teams wrapped up the regular season with continued progress at the Pre-National Invitational on Friday (October 17) at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course.
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The women's team finished the first 6k race of the season in 19th place with 543 points, the men's team placed 25th with 672 points in the 8k. The BYU women claimed the title by a landslide with just 25 points while Georgia's men won with 119 points.
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The Wildcats top two finishers in the women's race, senior Cecilia Fisher and sophomore Stella Miner, both finished with K-State top-25 times under 21 minutes as part of the first 100 finishers. Fisher, placing 61st overall with a new personal best time of 20:40.6, jumps up in the school records to no. 8 all-time. It was her fastest race since her sophomore year by 25 seconds. Miner, in just her second collegiate 6k race, finished with a time of 20:56.3 in 82nd place, the no. 13 spot in the record books.
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The next three women to cross the finish line under 22 minutes was senior Grace Meyer (115th; 21:11.8), junior Vienna Lahner (129th; 21:17.9) and junior Paige Baker (205th; 21:58.6). Lahner also ran her second 6k, over a minute faster from her lone race her freshman year at Adams State.
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Two freshmen women ran the first 6k of their collegiate careers, Payton Fink (234th; 22:08.4) and Hanna Keltner (240th; 22:11.4).
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Sophomore Jackson Esquibel continues to lead the men's team in the 8k, finishing 80th at 24:26.6, two seconds faster than his previous race to advance one spot to no. 15 in the K-State men's records.
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Sophomore Brock Olsen is staying consistent as well, crossing the finish line at 25:02.1, second for the Wildcats men once again at 131st place. Freshman Logan Beckman had a better showing for his second 8k with a time of 25:17.7 in 160th place.
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Upperclassmen, junior Jacob Norris (176th; 25:29.8) and senior Julian Avila (196th; 25:41.5) also ran well, Norris running closer to his personal best from the Bradley Pink Classic last season.
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K-State will start the postseason with the Big 12 Championship on Friday, October 31, just down the road in Lawrence, Kan., at Rim Rock Farm hosted by Kansas.
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FROM THE COURSE
Head Coach Kate Bucknam
On the women's team being consistent to start the season…
"Obviously we kind of ran a similar race as we did two weeks ago, where we really moved through the race. You look at where we were at 2k versus where we were finishing is just drastic. So, you know, I think that strategy works good in these bigger meets. Cecilia had a huge PR, she's on a roll, Grace was really consistent, Stella had a great day. We didn't race Christine [Jerono] just we want to keep her healthy for the postseason."
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On the improvement for the men's team in their second 8k this season…
"They needed tough competition. I definitely feel like we're taking steps in the right direction. You know, forward progress is being made and that showed for some guys like Logan and Jacob, who moved well through the race. For the guys, it's really all about experience and getting them exposed to these high level meets."
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On the strategy going into the Big 12 Championship…
"It's a different type of meet where it's much smaller meet, you know. These last couple meets had, I don't know what Notre Dame had, but this one had 39 teams in the women's races, so we're gonna go from that to 14. I think it's gonna be good for us, obviously KU, a lot of the kids are really familiar with it, so I think that's going to play into our favor. I think we can manage a tougher course like that."
Sophomore Jackson Esquibel
On what has helped him stay consistent on race days...
"My teammates and coaches have put belief in me and I've always striven to be someone that the team can count on to have a good race. Being consistently good is important for this team, we are young and have a lot of growth to happen, but if we continue to stack good days and strive to limit the bad ones, then we give ourselves the best chance for great things to come. I know how important being healthy is for the team and have definitely put more emphasis on improving my habits outside of running and recovering well between each workout and race. I feel being able to adapt to anything that may happen within a race has given me confidence in myself and the work I've put in. This has allowed me to focus on purposefully improving specific aspects of my race during workouts and applying those things to my next race. Today was focused on being patient early, passing people each 1k throughout and kicking stronger in the last 1k than my previous two races. This has helped me stay present in the moment and give purpose to each race or workout. I learned from this race and grateful for a personal best, but excited for the next opportunity at conference to strive to be the best I can for my team."
On any benefits to the Big 12 Conference race being hosted by the Kansas Jayhawks...
"We will definitely be prepared for Rim Rock, with much of our team from high schools in Kansas that have ran the 5k course. The 8k course will be new territory for everyone, but we plan on taking what we know from the 5k and 6k courses to our advantage. Our team is young, and each race we hae become more experienced, and with that more confident in what we believe we are capable of improving upon. We have learned from the previous two races, our strengths and what we can improve, and we are excited for postseason racing. Our coaches have and will continue to prepare us for the hills at Rim Rock, and how teammates can help one another at certain points in the race. With two relatively flat 8k courses behind us, we understand the challenge that Rim Rock presents and look forwards to the experience."
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Women's Team Finishes (6k)
1. BYU, 25 points
2. Villanova, 170 pts
3. Missouri, 216 pts
4. Tennessee, 219 pts
5. Florida State, 255 pts
6. Clemson, 286 pts
7. Boston College, 306 pts
8. Arkansas, 309 pts
9. Liberty, 325 pts
10. Kentucky, 330 pts
19. K-State, 543 pts
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K-State's Individual Results
61. Cecilia Fisher, 20:40.6 (PR)
82. Stella Miner, 20:56.3 (PR)
115. Grace Meyer, 21:11.8
129. Vienna Lahner, 21:17.9 (PR)
205. Paige Baker, 21:58.6
234. Payton Fink, 22:08.4
240. Hanna Keltner, 22:11.4
267. Alexa Rios, 22:29.1 (PR)
269. Bree Allen, 22:30.4
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Men's Team Finishes (8k)
1. Georgia, 119 points
2. Missouri, 164 pts
3. Ole Miss, 178 pts
4. Texas, 183 pts
5. Loyola (Ill.), 192 pts
6. Minnesota, 257 pts
7. Wichita State, 265 pts
8. Arkansas, 270 pts
9. Purdue, 291 pts
10. Florida, 293 pts
25. K-State, 672 pts
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K-State's Individual Results
80. Jackson Esquibel, 24:26.6 (PR)
131. Brock Olsen, 25:02.1
160. Logan Beckman, 25:17.7 (PR)
176. Jacob Norris, 25:29.8
196. Julian Avila, 25:41.5
208. Dylan Plath, 25:49.5 (PR)
219. Canyon Buehler, 26:00.4
233. Caleb Prettyman, 26:14.7
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How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on the K-State Track and Field and Cross Country Teams, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
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The women's team finished the first 6k race of the season in 19th place with 543 points, the men's team placed 25th with 672 points in the 8k. The BYU women claimed the title by a landslide with just 25 points while Georgia's men won with 119 points.
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The Wildcats top two finishers in the women's race, senior Cecilia Fisher and sophomore Stella Miner, both finished with K-State top-25 times under 21 minutes as part of the first 100 finishers. Fisher, placing 61st overall with a new personal best time of 20:40.6, jumps up in the school records to no. 8 all-time. It was her fastest race since her sophomore year by 25 seconds. Miner, in just her second collegiate 6k race, finished with a time of 20:56.3 in 82nd place, the no. 13 spot in the record books.
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The next three women to cross the finish line under 22 minutes was senior Grace Meyer (115th; 21:11.8), junior Vienna Lahner (129th; 21:17.9) and junior Paige Baker (205th; 21:58.6). Lahner also ran her second 6k, over a minute faster from her lone race her freshman year at Adams State.
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Two freshmen women ran the first 6k of their collegiate careers, Payton Fink (234th; 22:08.4) and Hanna Keltner (240th; 22:11.4).
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Sophomore Jackson Esquibel continues to lead the men's team in the 8k, finishing 80th at 24:26.6, two seconds faster than his previous race to advance one spot to no. 15 in the K-State men's records.
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Sophomore Brock Olsen is staying consistent as well, crossing the finish line at 25:02.1, second for the Wildcats men once again at 131st place. Freshman Logan Beckman had a better showing for his second 8k with a time of 25:17.7 in 160th place.
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Upperclassmen, junior Jacob Norris (176th; 25:29.8) and senior Julian Avila (196th; 25:41.5) also ran well, Norris running closer to his personal best from the Bradley Pink Classic last season.
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K-State will start the postseason with the Big 12 Championship on Friday, October 31, just down the road in Lawrence, Kan., at Rim Rock Farm hosted by Kansas.
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FROM THE COURSE
Head Coach Kate Bucknam
On the women's team being consistent to start the season…
"Obviously we kind of ran a similar race as we did two weeks ago, where we really moved through the race. You look at where we were at 2k versus where we were finishing is just drastic. So, you know, I think that strategy works good in these bigger meets. Cecilia had a huge PR, she's on a roll, Grace was really consistent, Stella had a great day. We didn't race Christine [Jerono] just we want to keep her healthy for the postseason."
Â
On the improvement for the men's team in their second 8k this season…
"They needed tough competition. I definitely feel like we're taking steps in the right direction. You know, forward progress is being made and that showed for some guys like Logan and Jacob, who moved well through the race. For the guys, it's really all about experience and getting them exposed to these high level meets."
Â
On the strategy going into the Big 12 Championship…
"It's a different type of meet where it's much smaller meet, you know. These last couple meets had, I don't know what Notre Dame had, but this one had 39 teams in the women's races, so we're gonna go from that to 14. I think it's gonna be good for us, obviously KU, a lot of the kids are really familiar with it, so I think that's going to play into our favor. I think we can manage a tougher course like that."
Sophomore Jackson Esquibel
On what has helped him stay consistent on race days...
"My teammates and coaches have put belief in me and I've always striven to be someone that the team can count on to have a good race. Being consistently good is important for this team, we are young and have a lot of growth to happen, but if we continue to stack good days and strive to limit the bad ones, then we give ourselves the best chance for great things to come. I know how important being healthy is for the team and have definitely put more emphasis on improving my habits outside of running and recovering well between each workout and race. I feel being able to adapt to anything that may happen within a race has given me confidence in myself and the work I've put in. This has allowed me to focus on purposefully improving specific aspects of my race during workouts and applying those things to my next race. Today was focused on being patient early, passing people each 1k throughout and kicking stronger in the last 1k than my previous two races. This has helped me stay present in the moment and give purpose to each race or workout. I learned from this race and grateful for a personal best, but excited for the next opportunity at conference to strive to be the best I can for my team."
On any benefits to the Big 12 Conference race being hosted by the Kansas Jayhawks...
"We will definitely be prepared for Rim Rock, with much of our team from high schools in Kansas that have ran the 5k course. The 8k course will be new territory for everyone, but we plan on taking what we know from the 5k and 6k courses to our advantage. Our team is young, and each race we hae become more experienced, and with that more confident in what we believe we are capable of improving upon. We have learned from the previous two races, our strengths and what we can improve, and we are excited for postseason racing. Our coaches have and will continue to prepare us for the hills at Rim Rock, and how teammates can help one another at certain points in the race. With two relatively flat 8k courses behind us, we understand the challenge that Rim Rock presents and look forwards to the experience."
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Women's Team Finishes (6k)
1. BYU, 25 points
2. Villanova, 170 pts
3. Missouri, 216 pts
4. Tennessee, 219 pts
5. Florida State, 255 pts
6. Clemson, 286 pts
7. Boston College, 306 pts
8. Arkansas, 309 pts
9. Liberty, 325 pts
10. Kentucky, 330 pts
19. K-State, 543 pts
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K-State's Individual Results
61. Cecilia Fisher, 20:40.6 (PR)
82. Stella Miner, 20:56.3 (PR)
115. Grace Meyer, 21:11.8
129. Vienna Lahner, 21:17.9 (PR)
205. Paige Baker, 21:58.6
234. Payton Fink, 22:08.4
240. Hanna Keltner, 22:11.4
267. Alexa Rios, 22:29.1 (PR)
269. Bree Allen, 22:30.4
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Men's Team Finishes (8k)
1. Georgia, 119 points
2. Missouri, 164 pts
3. Ole Miss, 178 pts
4. Texas, 183 pts
5. Loyola (Ill.), 192 pts
6. Minnesota, 257 pts
7. Wichita State, 265 pts
8. Arkansas, 270 pts
9. Purdue, 291 pts
10. Florida, 293 pts
25. K-State, 672 pts
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K-State's Individual Results
80. Jackson Esquibel, 24:26.6 (PR)
131. Brock Olsen, 25:02.1
160. Logan Beckman, 25:17.7 (PR)
176. Jacob Norris, 25:29.8
196. Julian Avila, 25:41.5
208. Dylan Plath, 25:49.5 (PR)
219. Canyon Buehler, 26:00.4
233. Caleb Prettyman, 26:14.7
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-- k-statesports.com --
 How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on the K-State Track and Field and Cross Country Teams, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
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/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
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