The Red Banner Race Report

Justin Kiplagat, a Senior from Trinity Western (B.C.), was the NAIA Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week for the week ending on September 27, 2026. Justin won his first collegiate cross-country race at the WWU Bill Roe Classic with a time of 24:06.20 on the 8k course at Hovander Homestead Park in Ferndale, Wash. At that time, it was the third-fastest mark in the NAIA this fall at the 8k distance...

Last year as a junior, Caleb Sarsland of Dickinson State saw phenomenal success, dropping his 8K personal best from 25:11 to 24:21.  He was ranked 33rd going into the 2025 NAIA XC National Meet and worked his way up into a top-ten finish, running close to his PR to take ninth on a humid Florida day that upended many of the top predictions.  He continued that success into the track season, taking f...

“This is not about instant gratification. You have to work hard for it, sweat for it, give up sleeping in on Sunday mornings.” - LAUREN FESSENDEN Serenity Larson came to the University of Saint Mary after a decorated junior college career at Hutchinson Community College, where she was a 4-time NJCAA All-American.  As a junior last season, Serenity finished 5th at the KCAC championships with a time...

Sarah Kirby of Central Methodist University was recently named the Heart of America Conference Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week for two straight weeks.  At the Great River Open 4K on Sept. 4, Sarah won the race in 15:39, then followed up that performance with a 6th-place finish at the Larry Young Invitational on Sept. 11 in 19:35.  After a serious auto accident, Sarah had to overcome major...

"Brave means not giving up on the things that make you feel alive." - Gabe Grunewald On Sept. 7, 2026, Huntington University’s Abigail Gentz was named the Crossroads League Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week; then, a day later, the USTFCCCA NAIA Women's National Athlete of the Week - the first such honor awarded in the 2026 cross country season.  At Indiana Wesleyan’s Twi...

Welcome back to the Red Banner Race Report Podcast, where we feature and celebrate the amazing moments, mindsets, and miles of cross country and track and field within the NAIA.   If you’re an NAIA middle-to-long distance athlete, coach, fan, supporter, or even quite possibly one outside the NAIA, you know that the Instagram account NAIA XC/TF Central is the go-to source for in-depth pre-to-post s...

Spring Arbor University’s Dean Reynolds is one of the Cougars’ most accomplished runners in school history, winning a national championship outdoors in the 4x800 relay ( watch here) in 2023 in arguably one of the most epic races to the line in meet history. He was a multi-time Crossroads League champion in events ranging from the 4x400 relay to the 4x800 and 1500, and he was the 2024 League cross...

Baker College in Owosso, Michigan, recently announced the addition of athletics, including cross country, to its campus.  The Baker Bees will be part of the Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) and compete within the NAIA division.  From Baker College's Press Release: Baker College has named Adam Trausch as its new Head Cross Country Coach, bringing nearly 15 years of collegiate coach...

Bellevue University's Grace Steinmetz's college coach called her rapid ascent a "huge understatement" of a surprise, and there’s no better way to explain the incredible trajectory of improvement for this athlete. Grace had a high school cross country 5K best of 20:34, and she was 73rd at the Iowa Class 1A cross country state meet as a senior, with track bests of 2:30 for the 80...

Welcome back to another episode of the Red Banner Race Report Podcast, the show where we dive deep into the minds, the miles, and the mindsets of the athletes chasing college running’s ultimate prize.  Representing the Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats, Trenton Sweet is our guest in this episode. If you look back at his TFRRS page in early 2025, he opened his collegiate 5,000-meter career with a 15:29. Th...

At the 2026 NAIA Outdoor National Championships in Asheville, NC, Sydney Duncan of Indiana University Kokomo completed a rare and historic feat—sweeping the Hammer, Shot Put, and Discus national titles in the same meet, earning the honor of being named NAIA National Meet MVP . Sydney has a long history of dominance on the national throws stage: she was the NAIA indoor shot put champ this past wint...

The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) recently announced its 2026 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Athletes of the Year, with Carroll College sophomore Carson Krack earning the honor. Carson, who hails from Whitefish, Montana, won the decathlon at the 2026 NAIA Outdoor Championships with a score of 7522 points in leading a 1-2 finish in the event for th...

Welcome back to the Red Banner Race Report , the podcast highlighting the amazing athletes and achievements in NAIA Cross Country and Track & Field. In this episode, we are sitting down with a man who has redefined the pace of the Mid-South Conference and the national stage. When you talk about dominance in the 5000 and 10,000 meters, one name has become a permanent fixture at the top of the l...

Welcome back to the Red Banner Race Report Podcast, where we feature the amazing athletes and performances in NAIA cross country and track and field. We are joined by the NAIA Outdoor National Championships' Most Valuable Performer, Nico Altheimer.  The St. Thomas University Men's Track and Field Program recorded its best finish in program history in third place, led by Altheimer, a fres...

Welcome back to the Red Banner Race Report podcast, featuring the cross country and track and field stars of the NAIA.  I’m your host, Meran, and today’s guest is Katie Vogt of Doane University.  Katie has established herself as one of the top sprinters in the NAIA, and her recent season highlights include some pretty amazing achievements.   School Record Holder: On April 8, 2026, she set a new Do...

Welcome back to the Red Banner Race Report , the podcast where we go beyond the results to meet the humans chasing NAIA achievements in cross country and track and field. In this episode, we’re talking about someone who is reaching new heights - literally. When you think of Voorhees University track and field in 2026, one name is currently hovering above the rest of the competition.   DeAndre Jone...

Welcome to the Red Banner Race Report Podcast, your home for what’s happening on the oval, in the field, and on the trail across the NAIA.  This episode will take us out west to the University of British Columbia. The Thunderbirds have a long tradition of track and field dominance, but our guest today is already rewriting that history just months into her collegiate career.  We are talking about e...

Welcome to the Red Banner Race Report podcast, where we take a deeper dive into the amazing achievements and athletes in NAIA cross country and track and field.  Today’s guest is Tyrone Summerall of Central Methodist University. It took two years, but Tyrone is finally back to running the 400-meter hurdles. A school record and the current top time in the NAIA made it worth the wait as he clocked 5...

Welcome back to the Red Banner Race Report , where we dive into the achievements of the incredible cross country and track and field athletes in the NAIA. I’m your host, Meran, and today, we have a guest who has quite literally rewritten the history books of the Appalachian Athletic Conference. Joining us is Milligan University senior Ellen-Mary Kearney .  During the indoor season, she won the App...

2 minutes, 47 seconds. That’s how long it took to change Marian University history forever. In the final stretch of the 1000-meter final, our guest today ran her team straight onto the top of the podium for the first Red Banner in program history.  Welcome back to another episode of the Red Banner Race Report , highlighting the achievements and inspiring stories in NAIA cross country and track and...

Welcome back to the Red Banner Race Report Podcast, featuring sprinter Netanel Dorothea.   His performance at the 2026 NAIA Men’s Indoor Track and Field Championships (held March 5–7 in Gainesville, Florida) was a career-defining weekend. He was the only male athlete to win two individual titles, which earned him the NAIA Most Valuable Performer (MVP). Dorothea is one of the few athletes to achiev...

If you’ve been following the NAIA circuit lately, you know the name Nathan Cremin . After starting at Gardner-Webb, Nathan made the move to Montreat College and has since gone on an absolute tear. We’re talking about the 2026 South Region Indoor Athlete of the Year and the man who recently obliterated a 20-year-old national record in the 1000m, clocking a 2:21.36 at the Appalachian Athletic Confer...

Hello and welcome to the Red Banner Race Report Podcast! My name is Meran, and I launched this podcast to shine a spotlight on the incredible athletes, coaches, and supporters that make the sports of cross country and track and field so special.  I spent some of the best years of my life as a collegiate runner racing in this division, and the memories and experiences I had while chasing the Red Ba...