TALLAHASSEE, FL – LC State Women’s Cross Country is set to race at the NAIA Cross Country National Championships for the 25th year in a row and will hit the course bright and early on Friday morning. Apachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla., will play host to the women’s 6k at 5:30 a.m. PT and the men’s 8k at 6:30 a.m. PT. Men’s individual Kobe Wessels will race for individual honors after the Warrior women compete as a team.
Four Cascade Conference teams earned berths on the women’s side into the national meet. No. 3 College of Idaho earned the CCC’s automatic bid while No. 17 Southern Oregon, No. 18 Eastern Oregon and No. 24 LC State earned at-large bids.
Damaris Kibiwot is on pace for her first All-American finish in cross country after an All-Cascade Conference finish at the conference meet. The sophomore finished 71st last season with what was then a career-best time of 22:26.0 but has since shaved nearly 30 seconds off her 6k time. Kibiwot has been the Warriors’ top runner throughout the season and needs a top 40 finish for national honors.
Not far behind is the senior duo of Grace Tiegs and Camille Ussher. The pair were the second and third Warriors across the finish line, respectively, last season at the national meet and have been a consistent presence for LC State at each meet in 2025. Both placed in the top 130 in 2024.
Freshmen Kailee Lerew and Eva Lundgren will make their debuts on the national stage to wrap up stellar first years on the course. The pair have rounded out the Warriors’ top five in the last four races.
Lily Bennett was LC State’s fourth runner to finish last year and will bring her veteran experience to Florida. Bennett ran one of the best races of her career last season to help the Warriors place 19th as a team and will add depth to this year’s group.
On the men’s side, Lewiston native Kobe Wessels will conclude his cross country career in Tallahassee as an individual. He earned All-CCC honors with a 14th place finish at the conference meet. Wessels was an All-American in cross country as a sophomore and has his eyes on adding to his resume in his final race.
