MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Minnesota State Moorhead cross country is set to return to competition this week at the Augustana Invitational in Sioux Falls, S.D. The men's race is slated for 10:15 a.m. with the women to follow at 11 a.m. from Yankton Trail Park.

Live results will be available at msumdragons.com. Moorhead has not competed since the 11th Annual Dragon Twilight on Friday, September 4. 

A Night Under The Lights...MSUM had the top two NCAA Division II finishers at the Dragon Twilight on September 4. The women's Randy Smith 5000m would begin the college races with Moorhead's women earning a fourth-place team finish. Senior Katelyn Kennedy was MSUM's top individual finisher, placing 15^th overall with a time of 19:40.8. MSUM's men's outfit would earn a third-place team finish behind a strong run from Salman Mohamed. The junior would place 13^th overall behind a 6k mark of 18:12.8.

More Strong Strides...Emma Jamison and Ava Dunnigan would see strong Dragon debuts, finishing 22^nd and 23^rd respectively. Jamison finished at 20:06.7 while Dunnigan clocked a 20:12 for the finish. Chase Hoechst would not be far behind Mohamed on the men's side, placing 15^th with a time of 18:15.6. Janis Riekstins would also finish within the top 20 for Moorhead, placing 18^th with a time of 18:22.3. Seth Meikle (18:32.1) and freshman Owen Winter (18:40.9) would be the final Dragons in the scoring column, placing 24^th and 25^th respectively.

Preseason Buzz...The Dragon women were picked to finish 10^th in the NSIC preseason coaches' poll behind 96 points. On the men's side, Moorhead was selected to finish second in the league, earning 182 points and a first-place vote. Senior Katelyn Kennedy and fifth-year Chase Hoechst were noted as the MSUM 'athletes to watch' in 2026. Kennedy, a senior from Brainerd, Minn., earns MSUM's 'preseason athlete to watch' honor following a strong junior campaign. The senior was Moorhead's top finisher at the NSIC Cross Country Championships with a 6k season best time of 23:07.8. Kennedy was also the top Dragon at the NCAA Central Region Championships. The senior marked the 11^th-fastest 5k in program history at last season's Dragon Twilight, finishing at 18:47.2. Hoechst is coming off a strong 2025 cross country campaign, led by an All-NSIC First Team finish. The Bismarck, N.D., product finished fourth at the conference championships a season ago, clocking a 25:11.7. Hoechst was also a USTFCCCA All-Central Region performer for the Dragons in 2025, finishing 24^th overall at the region race. He finished with a 31:24.5 10k mark, which is now the eighth-fastest in MSUM history. 

Coach Speak...Head cross country coach Ryan Milner has this to say on his women's squad ahead of 2026: "What excites me most is the mix we have this year. We have experienced returners who know what it takes to compete at the NSIC level, and then you add a transfer like Ava Dunnigan, who's coming in with exceptional talent, and it just raises the level for everybody," said head coach Ryan Milner. "When you combine that with consistency and team-first mentality this group already has, I think we're going to see some strong performances throughout the season."

More Coach Speak...Milner added this about his talented men's group: "Our men's team is poised for a strong 2026 campaign. We have the returning NSIC Champion, Jared Gregoire back, along with most of our 2025 roster returning," said Milner, who enters his 10^th season as leader of the Dragon harriers this fall. "On top of that, we're welcoming a talented group of freshmen and transfers who are ready to compete for spots in our top seven."b

Ryan Milner is in his 10th season as MSUM's head cross country coach.