Serem Leads Buffs to Third in Big 12 Men’s Race, Women Take Fifth

Friday, October 31

Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence, Kansas

Colorado

Big 12 Cross Country Championship

Serem Leads Buffs to Third in Big 12 Men’s Race, Women Take Fifth

October 31, 2025 | Cross Country

Serem finish ninth, named All-Big 12 team

By: Herman Shelton, Associate Director/Athletic Communications

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The University of Colorado men's and women's cross country teams turned in strong performances Friday morning at the 2025 Allstate Big 12 Cross Country Championships at Rim Rock Farm. The Buffaloes placed third in the men's race and fifth in the women's, both competing in one of the deepest conference fields in the nation.

Sophomore Dominic Serem was the top finisher for the Buffs, earning All-Big 12 honors with a ninth-place finish

Men
Facing a field that included four nationally ranked programs, Colorado scored 87 points to place third behind No. 2 Oklahoma State (20 points) and No. 1 Iowa State (43 points).

Serem paced the lead pack through the opening mile and the 3,000-meter split, running shoulder to shoulder with the front group. He remained just one-tenth of a second behind the leader at the 5K mark before slipping to 10th at 7K. Serem closed hard over the final kilometer to finish ninth overall in 23 minutes, 6.2 seconds, his third consecutive top-10 performance of the season.

Serem once again led the Buffs, followed by junior Dean Casey, who placed 16th in 23:19.7, a season best. Senior James Overberg was 18th in 23:22.3, just six seconds off his season best. Sophomore Jake Liebert ran 23:24.2 for 20th, just shy of his season best of 23:20.2, and junior Tanner Newkirk rounded out the scoring lineup in 24th with a personal best of 23:41.1. Seniors Grady Rauba (33rd) and sophomore Kole Mathison (36th) served as displacers.

Oklahoma State, the nation's top-ranked team, dominated the race with five runners in the top seven to total 20 points. Iowa State, led by sophomore Robin Kwemoi Bera, placed second with 43 points. The Buffaloes were third with 87 points, placing all five scorers inside the top 25 and recording their tightest spread of the season at 35 seconds.

Oklahoma State's Brian Musau captured the individual title in 22:53.7, leading a pack of Cowboys who swept four of the top six spots. Serem was the top finisher among Big 12 newcomers and the first non-Oklahoma State or Iowa State athlete across the line.

Men's Team Top 5

No. 2 Oklahoma State – 20 points (1, 2, 4, 6, 7)
No. 1 Iowa State – 43 points (3, 5, 10, 12, 13)
No. 5 Colorado – 87 points (9, 16, 18, 20, 24)
No. 8 BYU – 102 points (15, 17, 19, 22, 29)
Kansas – 171 points (25, 26, 33, 40, 47)

Men – 8,000 Meters
Team Finish: 3rd place – 87 points | USTFCCCA National Rank: No. 5

Place	Name	Year	Time	Notes
9	Dominic Serem	SO	23:06.2	Led CU; third straight top-10 finish
16	Dean Casey	JR	23:19.7
18	James Overberg	SR	23:22.3
20	Jake Liebert	SO	23:24.2
24	Tanner Newkirk	JR	23:41.1
(33)	Grady Rauba	SR	23:51.3
(36)	Kole Mathison	SO	23:53.8
49	Wilson Georges	JR	24:32.3

Women
The Colorado women's team earned fifth place with 128 points, competing against four nationally ranked opponents, including No. 1 BYU, No. 6 Oklahoma State, No. 7 West Virginia, and No. 11 Iowa State. The Buffaloes packed tightly throughout the 6K race, placing five runners inside the top 35 and recording a 28-second spread among scorers.

Junior Jessie Secor led the Buffs with a 22nd-place finish in 20:07.9. Sophomore Abbey Nechanicky followed closely in 23rd (20:09.2), marking her fourth straight finish inside CU's top two. Freshman Mia Larochelle continued her breakout season, finishing 28th (20:27.5) in her first collegiate postseason race. Sophomore Hannah Prosser placed 30th (20:29.8), just three seconds off her season best, while sophomore Juliette Forstrom completed the scoring five in 33rd (20:36.2), a season best.

Freshman Holly Barker (35th, 20:39.0) and freshman Ella Hagen (42nd, 20:57.2). both running season bests.

BYU swept both the individual and team titles. BYU freshman Jane Hedengren captured the individual crown in 18:29.6, setting a course and Big 12 record with a 41-second margin of victory. The top five included three freshmen (Hedengren, Chelangat, Kirwa), highlighting a talented youth movement across the conference.

Women's Team Top 5

No. 1 BYU – 38 points
No. 11 Iowa State – 71 points
No. 7 West Virginia – 86 points
No. 6 Oklahoma State – 86 points
No. 16 Colorado – 128 points

Women – 6,000 Meters
Team Finish: 5th place – 128 points | USTFCCCA National Rank: No. 16

Place	Name	Year	Time	Notes
22	Jessie Secor	JR	20:07.9
23	Abbey Nechanicky	SO	20:09.2
28	Mia Larochelle	FR	20:27.5
30	Hannah Prosser	SO	20:29.8
33	Juliette Forstrom	SO	20:36.2	Season best
(35)	Holly Barker	FR	20:39.0
(42)	Ella Hagen	FR	20:57.2
57	Linda Weigang	JR	21:25.2	Season best
64	Louise Lounes	SR	21:37.3	Season debut
73	Pippa Roessler	SR	21:59.9	Season best

From Coach Sean Carlson
"Both the men and women had good days and are coming out of this healthy and ready to go for regionals and nationals," head coach Sean Carlson said. "Regionals are about taking care of business and not doing anything fancy to get there. The Big 12 on both the men's and women's sides is the best cross country conference in the NCAA right now, and this was a great measuring stick for what's ahead at the national meet."

Up Next
Colorado will return to action at the NCAA Mountain Regional Championships on Nov. 14 in Salt Lake City, Utah, with hopes of qualifying both teams for the NCAA Championships.