Oklahoma College Cross Country 2026: The September Results Roundup

September is in the books, and all five of Oklahoma’s college programs have opened the 2026 season. Here’s what actually happened — meet by meet, school by school, with the numbers we could verify. No projections, no hype, just results.

Oklahoma State

The Cowboys and Cowgirls did what hosts do at the Cowboy Preview (Sept 5) — won both team titles, with OU second in each race.

Then came the 88th Cowboy Jamboree (Sept 26), and it delivered the most interesting September storyline in the state: the No. 1-ranked Cowboy men got beat. No. 2 New Mexico put on a clinic, 28–44, with Pasanjo Kitonga taking the individual title in 23:24.4. Denis Kipngetich led OSU in second (23:25.4), Brian Musau was fourth (23:43.0), and Jacob Deacon (7th), Laban Kipkemboi (15th), and Adisu Guadie (18th) rounded out the scoring. Losing at home in September means nothing in November — Dave Smith’s teams famously build — but New Mexico laying 28 points on the defending national champions is a real result, and it cost OSU the No. 1 ranking conversation for a week.

The women’s race was the Billah Jepkirui show. The Cowgirl senior won in 19:24.4, a meet record and a Greiner Family course record, breaking Katelyn Tuohy’s 19:27.7 from the 2022 NCAA Championships. She sat 24th at the 1K split, ran down two-time NCAA champion Jane Hedengren (BYU) with 200 meters to go, and teammate Maureen Rutoh came with her for second in 19:28.6 — also under the old record. That’s two women under a Tuohy course record in the same race. The team finished second (64) to No. 3 BYU (32), but beat No. 2 New Mexico (70), with Victoria Lagat (15th, 20:35.1), Gentry Turner (25th), and Autumn Michalski (30th) completing the scoring.

Sources: OSU recap · OSU Jamboree video recap (men’s details) · BYU recap with full team scores

Oklahoma

The Sooners opened at the Cowboy Preview (Sept 5) with both teams second to OSU — men 55 points, women 61. Freshman Domtila Cheruto announced herself immediately, winning the women’s 3K in 10:04.2, with Sarafina Kibet third (10:27.5). On the men’s side, junior Thobias Cheruiyot was second in the 5K (15:02.6) and sophomore Ronald Ngetich fourth (15:14.0).

At the Cowboy Jamboree (Sept 26), the Sooner women took fifth (158) in a field with three top-15 national teams. Cheruto was 11th in the 6K (20:27.3) — the top freshman in the race not wearing BYU or New Mexico — followed by Sanae Hassnaoui (18th, 20:48.7), Kibet (31st, 21:17.3), Hasnae Goulamzi (45th, 21:36.2), and Mary Van Dyke (86th). The men’s recap lists four Sooner finishers: Ngetich 12th (23:56.8), Hayden Gray (25:41.4), Hamza Belkhalfi (26:48.7), and Joshua Cherry (26:50.6). No team score was published for the men.

One housekeeping note, because it made us smile: OU’s recap says “Results from the Cowboy Preview are available via Red Dirt Running” — that’s the timing company, not us. Different Red Dirt, same dirt.

Sources: OU Cowboy Preview recap · OU Jamboree recap

Oklahoma Baptist

The Bison opened the season with a statement at Rogers State’s Distance After Dark (Sept 3), winning the men’s team title out of 14 teams with 45 points. Senior Emery Crayton led in fifth (20:27.1 over four miles), followed by freshman Jonah Grein (8th, 20:33.1), Brody Woodcock (9th, 20:35.0), and Levi Haynes (10th, 20:38.3) — four in the top ten, averaging 20:35.0, a full 15 seconds faster than runner-up Pittsburg State. That performance put OBU sixth in the USTFCCCA Central Region preseason poll — the highest regional ranking in program history — and earned the men votes in the first DII national poll. The Bison women were third at the same meet.

OBU was slated to race the Cowboy Jamboree on Sept 26, but no Bison results surfaced from Stillwater — either they sat it out or the results never got published. Next up: the Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville on Oct 3, then the DBU Old Glory Gallup on Oct 17, with the GAC Championships in Enid on Nov 7.

Sources: OBU Distance After Dark recap · OBU ranked 6th in Central Region / receiving national votes

Oklahoma Christian

The Eagles also opened at Distance After Dark (Sept 3): men third of 14 (92 points), women fifth of 17 (145). Freshman Ryder Strohman was the story — third overall in his collegiate debut (20:17.1 for four miles), earning Lone Star Conference Freshman Runner of the Week. Caden Triantos (18th), Cole Davenport (22nd), and Cole Powell (23rd) backed him up. For the women, senior Brooke Latham (6th, 18:05.6) and junior Kinley Kite (9th, 18:11.7) both went top ten in the 5K, with freshman Graycie Lucas 33rd in her debut.

At the Cowboy Jamboree (Sept 26), Strohman again led the men — 66th in 25:29.8 over 8K — with Blake Morrison (98th, 26:04.5), Triantos (101st, 26:07.6), Powell (120th), and Maxton Barker (136th) scoring. Latham paced the women in 52nd (21:49.4 over 6K), Kite 66th (22:19.1). The Eagles are off until the Old Glory Gallup at Dallas Baptist on Oct 17.

Sources: OC Distance After Dark recap · OC men at Jamboree · OC women at Jamboree

Oklahoma City University

The Stars skipped Stillwater and went to Missouri instead, and it paid off. At the Gans Creek Classic Black Division race, graduate Ayenew Devany won the men’s 8K in 24:32.5 — his season debut, in a 257-runner field spanning D1, D2, D3, NAIA, and JUCO — a mark that ranks 11th in the NAIA this fall. Sophomore Kenzi Readnour was fourth in the women’s 6K (21:25.6), the eighth-fastest NAIA time this season and the best in the Sooner Athletic Conference. Both earned SAC Runner of the Week honors.

Earlier, at Distance After Dark (Sept 3), Readnour was third in the women’s 5K (17:57) and helped OCU to fourth place — the best finish of any NAIA team in the field. The OCU men also raced there. The defending SAC champions on both sides look like they intend to keep the conference streaks alive.

Sources: Readnour SAC honor (Distance After Dark) · Devany & Readnour SAC honors (Gans Creek)

What’s next

October is when the season gets serious: OBU at Chile Pepper (Oct 3), OU’s men at Nuttycombe (Oct 9), OU’s women split between Pre-Nationals and the Weis-Crockett (Oct 16–17), and both small-school programs at the DBU Old Glory Gallup (Oct 17). We’ll round it all up again when the championship season starts.