PUEBLO, Colo. – Both Chadron State cross country teams improved their regional finishes from last season as the men's team placed 17^th while the women placed 18^th at the NCAA Regional Championships held in Pueblo, Colorado on Saturday.

The 2025 performance comes after both programs finished 19^th during the 2024 race. The men scored 484 team points for 17^th among a field of 24 schools while the women scored 547 points in a race that featured 26 programs.

A pair of graduating Eagles – Queen Creek, Arizona redshirt senior Nate Mann and Sheridan, Wyoming senior Blaine Johnson – were CSC's top two finishers on the day. Mann ran the men's 10K in 32:25.3 to finish in 66^th place among a total field of 164 racers, while Johnson was 10 places back in 76^th with a time of 32:52.1.

A pair of freshmen were third and fourth across the line for the CSC men, with Kaden Boltz finishing 89^th in 33:16.0 and Boady Hunter finishing 115^th and crossing the line in 34:13.5. Chadron State's final senior, Miles Mitchell, rounded out the scoring five with a time of 35 minutes even to finish in 138^th place. 

All five scoring runners for the Eagle men set personal bests at the championship distance. Mann and Johnson each set personal bests at the 10K distance, just two weeks after setting personal 8K bests at October's RMAC Championships. Mitchell beat his 2024 time by over two minutes while CSC's two first-years were each their first collegiate 10Ks.
 
The CSC men had some strong finishing kicks to lock in an improved placing. Between the 5K mark and the finish, Johnson improved eight places, Hunter improved 20 places and Mitchell improved four places to lift the Eagles from 19^th in the team standings up to 17^th. 

Adam Beard (35:31.4, 143^rd) and Mizaiha Babers Webb (35:35.3, 145^th) also competed for the Eagles on the men's side. 

Like they have all season long, McCook, Nebraska junior Samantha Rodewald and Sidney, Nebraska senior Lydia Peters led the Eagle women across the line. Rodewald cracked the top 100 of a 175-racer field, placing 94^th after running the 6K race in 23:22.6. 

Peters finished in 102^nd place, running the course in 23:36.4. Junior Katelyn Beshara was just behind in 23:48.4 to cross the line in 108^th, setting a 6K career personal best
Sophomore Kyndall Carnahan (24:07.2, 117^th) and junior Izabella Miller (24:33.1 (126^th) rounded out the Eagles' scoring five. Ivy Hise also raced for the CSC women and placed 133^rd with a time of 24:45.8, a personal best.

Adams State swept the team regional titles. The Grizzlies repeated on the women's side ahead of UCCS and Colorado School of Mines, while on the men's side, Adams State halted a Colorado School of Mines streak of six straight regional championships. The Orediggers still finished second to grab one of the three automatic qualifying sports, with Western Colorado in third.

The individual champions were Adams State's Tristian Spence on the women's side and New Mexico Highlands's Weldon Chebon on the men's side.

Chadron State's 2025 cross country season has now concluded. Many of the Eagle runners will turn their focus to distance races for CSC track. The indoor season is expected to start in early December with Chadron's annual home "Birds and the Bees" meet.