The Loper cross-country teams competed at the MIAA Championships in Saint Joseph, Missouri, on Saturday. The men finished third and the women fifth with seven runners earning All-MIAA honorable mention honors.

Senior Payton Davis led the men in the 8,000-meter race, finishing 11th with a time of 24 minutes, 12 seconds. Sam Lueders (14th), Brett Schoenhofer (17th) and Nick Abdalla (20th) all received All-MIAA honorable mention honors.

“We have really solid senior leadership on the men’s side, and those seniors led us to a good day,” UNK coach Brady Bonsall said. “It was another step towards accomplishing the mission.”

The unranked Loper men finished third behind No. 16 Northwest Missouri State and No. 18 Pittsburg State, scoring 99 points. The men were able to outscore No. 23 Washburn by 40 points.

On the women’s side, the 17th-ranked Lopers finished fifth with 97 points behind four ranked opponents.

“Overall, the women had a rough day and lost to some nationally ranked teams,” Bonsall said. “This team really cares about each other and has overcome many obstacles.”

Freshmen Kassidy Stuckey and Reece Ewoldt led the UNK women, finishing 11th and 13th, respectively. Junior Ella Buhlke also earned All-MIAA honorable mention honors, finishing 19th in the 6,000-meter race.

Both teams will be back in action at the NCAA Central Regional in Joplin, Missouri on Nov. 9.