KANSAS CITY, Mo.- The MIAA announced its 2026 Men's and Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll on Friday morning. Pittsburg State took the top spot in both the mens and women's polls, with the men getting five first place votes and the women receiving seven. Jets Men's Cross Country took 11th place, recieving 19 total points. Women's Cross Country tallied 22 points to tie Central Oklahoma for the 12th spot in the poll. 


2026 MIAA MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. Pittsburg State [5] – 114 points
2. Washburn [3] – 108 points
T3. Nebraska Kearney [1] – 90 points
T3. Missouri Southern – 90 points
5. Northwest Missouri [3] – 84 points
6. Fort Hays State – 73 points
7. Rogers State – 60 points
8. Missouri Western – 54 points
9. Central Missouri – 45 points
10. Emporia State – 40 points
11. Newman – 19 points
12. Arkansas-Fort Smith – 15 points
[#] - First Place Votes

2026 MIAA WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. Pittsburg State [7] – 138 points
2. Rogers State [3] – 128 points
3. Nebraska Kearney [1] – 116 points
4. Missouri Southern [1] – 107 points
5. Northwest Missouri – 103 points
6. Fort Hays State – 91 points
7. Washburn [1] – 86 points
8. Emporia State – 56 points
9. Arkansas-Fort Smith – 52 points
10. Central Missouri – 49 points
11. Missouri Western – 44 points
T12. Central Oklahoma – 22 points
T12. Newman – 22 points 
[#] - First Place Votes
 

Head Coach Amber McVicar returns for another season at the helm of the Jets. Last season, the Jets finished 12th on the men's side and 13th on the women's side at the MIAA Conference Championships and will look to build on those results this season.

On the men's side, Timothy Kiprotich returns for another season with the Jets. Last season, Kiprotich earned a spot at the NCAA Cross Country Championships after placing 15th at the NCAA Central Regionals with a time of 31:07.20. Senior Logan Libel also returns for the Jets. During the offseason, Coach McVicar added freshmen Riley Roots and Landon Hubbard, along with transfer Jason Webster.

On the women's side, seniors Anna Lobmeyer and Teressa Martinez return for the Jets. Sophomore Alexa Ornelas will look to make her return after missing the 2025 season. In 2024, Ornelas was the Jets' top finisher. McVicar also adds Judy Kipruto, a transfer from Northwest Arkansas Community College, who will look to make an immediate impact. While at NWACC, Kipruto consistently finished under 21 minutes and recorded three individual top-20 finishes. Katie Hughes also joins the Jets as a transfer from Adams State. Hughes was a member of Adams State's 2024 NCAA Division II National Championship team.

The Jets will kick off their 2026 season at the JK Gold Classic on September 5, hosted by Wichita State at Clapp Golf Course.