MANKATO, Minn. – Minnesota State men's and women's cross country competes at the 2025 NSIC Cross Country Championships in Wayne, Nebraska on Friday, October 24 at Wayne Country Club. The women's 6,000-meter race is scheduled for 12 p.m. while the men's 8,000-meter race will follow at 1:15 p.m. Wayne State College is the host school. The women's race will have 16 teams competing while 14 teams will run in the men's race.
 
Last year, Minot State hosted the event at Souris Valley Golf Course. MSU women's cross country placed 5^th while the men came in 6^th. Augustana took the team title in both races in 2024.
 
Senior Madison Matzek (Prescott, Wis.) finished 11^th last season at the NSIC Championships and senior Alexi MacDonald (Rice Lake, Wis.) placed 12^th. This year, Matzek has continued with strong finishes, including a seventh-place finish at the Roy Griak Invitational and a fifth-place finish at the Holiday Inn Express Classic. This year's team has been bolstered by junior Ashley Overgaauw (Lake Wilson, Minn.), who was named NSIC Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week for the third time on Oct. 14. Overgaauw crossed the line second at the Holiday Inn Express Classic, helping the Mavericks win the meet in a field of 17 teams.
 
Men's cross country has been led by freshman Luis Pfister (Ottobeuren, Germany), who took second place at the Roy Griak Invitational and 10^th position at the Holiday Inn Express Classic. Fellow freshman Jack Kendall (Virginia, Minn.) contributed with an 18^th place mark last week in Iowa.
 
Maverick men's and women's cross country were selected to finish fourth in their respective 2025 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Polls.
 
The NSIC Network will air the finish line and awards ceremony. The Mavericks compete in the NCAA Regional on Saturday, November 8 at the Tom Rutledge CC Course in Joplin, Missouri. The NCAA Championships are set for Saturday, November 22 at Wayne E. Danehl National CC in Kenosha, Wisconsin, for teams who qualify.