Success in the cross-country season starts with the summer, which means getting in a good foundation of work, preparing for September and staying healthy.
So far, the Kansas cross-country team has done just that, according to assistant coach Michael Whittlesey.
“We go all three seasons, so they’ve had a long, long year,” Whittlesey said. “So a huge part of it is about rejuvenating themselves and getting refreshed, but certainly putting in that base work in preparation.”
The Jayhawks could certainly use the rejuvenation, as both the men’s and women’s teams are full of veterans. Kansas only has a few incoming freshmen on each team.
Most of the team has gone through a cross-country season and two track and field seasons. Track is much more individual, and runners bring that individual growth and confidence into the more team-heavy sport of cross-country.
“I thought we had a really good outdoor season, so they should have a lot of confidence coming in,” Whittlesey said.
KU’s women’s team had a young team in 2025 with only one upperclassman, which gave the young Jayhawks a lot of experience. KU finished 11th in the Big 12 Championships and 24th in the Midwest Regional race.
“It was a huge growth for them,” Whittlesey said. “They learned a lot. They learned how to battle and fight for each other. I think not just during cross, but certainly during the outdoor, we saw a lot of growth with them. So we’re certainly excited.”
It helps that the Jayhawks also are bringing back Emmah Jemutai, the redshirt junior who broke out in the 2024 season and led the Jayhawks again this past year. She finished 25th in the Big 12 Championships and placed 12th in the NCAA Midwest Regional race, which put her in the NCAA Championships. There, she placed 81st. She parlayed that success into an even better year in track, which Whittlesey believes will bring more confidence to succeed even more in 2026.
What separates Jemutai are both her work ethic and how much she cares for her teammates. She’s a leader for the Jayhawks, both by example and by how she brings along her fellow runners.
“Anytime you have someone who really cares about the team and is talented enough, they’re going to work really hard and help motivate everybody else as well,” Whittlesey said.
Jemutai’s run in the NCAA Championships and the success she’s had personally extend to the rest of the team. Whittlesey said the team sees what it takes to have that success and will strive to accomplish it.
The KU men’s team had a better collective year than the women’s team did, as the former finished fifth in the Big 12 Championships and 11th in the Midwest Regional.
“The upperclassmen’s leadership did a great job of molding that focus and having that come out at the conference meet,” Whittlesey said of last year’s team.
The Jayhawks lost two of their top five runners in Tanner Talley and Quenton Walion, but KU picked up two runners in the spring to fill that void. Stephen Maroro and Barnabas Ndiwa expect to come in and make an immediate impact.
“We’re expecting a lot of the men’s team this fall with the experience that we have, the knowledge that we have and the talent that we have together,” Whittlesey said. “This group has been together for a long time now, and we expect some big results for us.”
Ndiwa comes from Iowa Western Community College and was one of the best junior-college runners. His team took sixth in the NJCAA Division I Cross-Country Championships, and he took 13th overall. Maroro joined KU for the track and field season and already broke a school record in the 10,000 meters, showing his potential for the cross-country season.
The two newcomers will join a strong group of young runners, including two sophomores in Reagan Kibet and Paul Ngasharr, who both finished top 30 in the Big 12 Championships. Whittlesey said Kibet’s confidence grew notably between the indoor and outdoor track seasons, and that Ngasharr should improve after having a slower start to the season last year due to an injury.
“So I expect (Kibet) to be chasing toward the top 10 in the conference, and Paul should be right there with him,” Whittlesey said.
Coupling the newcomers and returners with a team that has strong leadership has the Jayhawks ready to make a push in the Big 12 and regional races.
Kansas starts the season at home at Rim Rock Farm for the Bob Timmons Classic on Sept. 5. The Big 12 Championship will be held in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on Oct. 31 with the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships being held on Nov. 13 in Ames, Iowa.
Reagan Kibet competes at NCAA cross-country regionals on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Stillwater, Okla.
The Kansas Jayhawks women’s cross-country team competes with members of North Dakota State and South Dakota State at NCAA cross-country regionals on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Stillwater, Okla.
The Kansas Jayhawks women’s cross country team huddles at NCAA cross-country regionals on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Stillwater, Okla.
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