Colorado
Big 12 Championships
October 31, 2026 | Cross Country
Women earn fourth place, just one point out of third
STILLWATER, Okla. — The No. 3 Colorado men's cross country team won the 2026 Big 12 Championships after a stand-out team performance including five top-12 finishes. Dominic Serem was the course runner-up, taking first place for the Buffaloes and guiding them to a Championship title.
This is Colorado cross country's 13th Big 12 title, the first since 2007. They last won a conference title in 2021, while the Buffs were competing in the Pac-12. It is the 34th cross country conference title all-time.
"Real proud of our guys. They ran a great team race," Head Coach Sean Carlson said. "They did a really good job of being disciplined throughout the race and running in their positions that we talked about. Fantastic day. I couldn't ask for anything more."
The women secured fourth place, led by Sheylah Kurgat who produced a 19 minute, 46.7 second finish, good enough for eighth overall.
A Back-and-Forth Battle for CU Women
With the women's race taking place first, Kurgat jumped out to an early lead, hanging with a cluster of BYU Cougars. Abbey Mathison and Kurgat competed at the front of the pack, crossing the 2K mark at just over seven minutes.
Kurgat pushed the pace, finding a slight separation as Adrianna Buitelaar and Holly Barker made large jumps in the back-stretch of the course to push the Buffs towards a top-five finish.
Nearing the last stretch, team placements constantly shifted as Utah, Oklahoma State and Colorado fought through a final downhill battle. Ultimately, Colorado secured fourth place with a total of 117 points.
CU Men Set the Pace
The Colorado men raced as a herd with Serem, Jake Liebert, Meshack Kipruto and Jack Graffeo finding a steady pace in the front throughout the first 2K. Lukas Haug and Isaiah Givens made moves to close in on Colorado's frontrunners, battling BYU and Oklahoma State for a spot on the podium.
At the 3K split, Kipruto took the lead for CU, sandwiched between two BYU runners. The pack remained a sea of white as seven Buffs were within the top-20, five within the top-12.
Colorado held steady through the 6K split, 11 points ahead of second place. Kipruto and Serem moved into second and fourth place as they charged up a difficult hill.
CU and Oklahoma State were neck-and-neck as they came bounding through the chute. Serem took second place and Kipruto finished fourth, with the rest of Colorado's point-scorers coming in the top-12.
UP NEXT: The work is not yet done for the Buffs as they prepare for the NCAA Mountain Regionals on Friday, Nov. 13.
For more information on Colorado cross country, please visit https://cubuffs.com/sports/cross-country. Fans of the Buffs can follow @cubuffstrack on Instagram, X and Facebook.
2026 Big 12 Championships Results
Women's 6K Championship Race
1. BYU, 56; 2. West Virginia, 63; 3. Oklahoma State, 116; 4. Colorado, 117; 5. Utah, 132; 6. Iowa State, 168; 7. Arizona, 219; 8. Kansas, 263; 9. Cincinnati, 287; 10. Texas Tech, 299; 11. UCF, 313; 12. Arizona State, 325; 13. Houston, 350; 14. TCU, 352; 15. Kansas State, 362; 16. Baylor, 364
Individuals
1. Jane Hedengren, BYU, 19.28.0; 2. Billah Jepkirui, Oklahoma State, 19.38.0; 3. Betty Kipkore, Iowa State, 19:39.9; 4. Maureen Cherotich, Oklahoma State, 19:40.1; 5. Mercy Kinyanjui, West Virginia, 19.42.7; 6. Rosemary Longisa, Iowa State, 19:45.4; 7. Joy Naukot, West Virginia, 19:46.0; 8. Sheylah Kurgat, Colorado, 19:46.7…18. Abbey Mathison, Colorado, 20:13.8…25. Adrianna Buitelaar, Colorado, 20.34.8…30. Holly Barker, Colorado, 20.45.8…41. Bella Jacobsen, Colorado, 21:06.8…43. Emma Hoffman, Colorado, 21:10.8…53. Rowan Saacke, Colorado, 21:33.9…60. Sarah Bogdan, Colorado, 21:50.0
Men's 8K Championship Race
1. Colorado, 36; 2. Oklahoma State, 38; 3. BYU, 91; 4. Iowa State, 104; 5. Arizona, 163; 6. Kansas, 212; 7. Arizona State, 224; 8. Cincinnati, 239; 9. Houston, 246; 10. Kansas State, 262; 11. TCU, 273; 12. Texas Tech, 333; 13. Baylor, 384
Individuals
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Denis Kipngetich, Oklahoma State, 23:05.7; 2. Dominic Serem, Colorado, 23:06.9; 3. Brian Musau, Oklahoma, State 23:08.0; 4. Meshack Kipruto, Colorado, 23:10.3; 5. Titus Kimaru, Texas Tech, 23:12.0…9. Jack Graffeo, Colorado, 23:24.0; 10. Isaiah Givens, Colorado, 23:24.6; 11. Jake Liebert, Colorado, 23:26.4…15. Tanner Newkirk, Colorado, 23:54.4; 16. Lukas Haug, Colorado, 23:37.9…18. Dean Casey, Colorado, 23:43.4…46. Stephen Ndungu, 24:30.4…55. Peter Bii, Colorado, 24:42.9
