Justin Kiplagat, a Senior from Trinity Western (B.C.), was the NAIA Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week for the week ending on September 27, 2026.

Justin won his first collegiate cross-country race at the WWU Bill Roe Classic with a time of 24:06.20 on the 8k course at Hovander Homestead Park in Ferndale, Wash. At that time, it was the third-fastest mark in the NAIA this fall at the 8k distance and a career-best for Justin.

Justin also finished second in the mile indoors in 4:04 at NAIA Nationals last winter and has a personal best of 4:02, with a sub-4 mile on his radar for the winter of 2027.

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Last year as a junior, Caleb Sarsland of Dickinson State saw phenomenal success, dropping his 8K personal best from 25:11 to 24:21. He was ranked 33rd going into the 2025 NAIA XC National Meet and worked his way up into a top-ten finish, running close to his PR to take ninth on a humid Florida day that upended many of the top predictions. He continued that success into the track season, taking fourth in the 2026 3K indoor champs, and seventh in the 10K at the 2026 outdoor track and field championship. For a runner who had never previously raced at the NAIA track championships, Caleb didn’t just qualify; he earned a spot on the podium. Named a “Rising Star Individual” in December by NAIA XC/T&F Central, and now a senior, Caleb has lived up to the hype…and he isn’t done yet. He was recently named the Frontier Conference Runner of the Week for the second straight week (which he has won five times in his career) and the NAIA Runner of the Week.

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“This is not about instant gratification. You have to work hard for it, sweat for it, give up sleeping in on Sunday mornings.”
- LAUREN FESSENDEN

Serenity Larson came to the University of Saint Mary after a decorated junior college career at Hutchinson Community College, where she was a 4-time NJCAA All-American. As a junior last season, Serenity finished 5th at the KCAC championships with a time of 22:46 (6k), then 121st at NAIA nationals with a time of 23:07.2. Now a senior, she was named the NAIA XC/TF Performer of the Week on Aug. 30 for her victory at the Spire Sunset Showdown on her home course by almost a minute, leading her team to a victory as well. This past weekend, Serenity was the top NAIA finisher at the Roy Griak Invitational, placing 20th overall in a new school record of 20:44, her PR by almost two minutes; she is only the second runner in St. Mary’s program history to dip under the 21-minute barrier in the 6K.

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