Mount Mercy cross country program wants to be elite as men and women head to NAIA national meet

CEDAR RAPIDS — Trophies were passed around, banners were displayed, T-shirts were adorned and hats were affixed.

This traditional post-meet celebration is one the Mount Mercy University cross country teams have watched other schools enjoy in recent years. But at the Heart of America Conference championships on Nov. 9, it was the Mustangs doing the celebrating as both their men’s and women’s teams won conference titles.

As a result, Mount Mercy will bring its entire team to the NAIA Cross Country National Championships on Friday in Columbia, Mo.

“It says a lot about the cross country program, the university and the direction we’re heading,” second-year Mount Mercy Coach Jeff Barker said. “One of our big goals is to be an elite cross country/distance program in Eastern Iowa and throughout the whole state. There are a lot of really good small schools, but our goal is to be the best. That is why I am here.”

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Barker coaches the men and women at Mount Mercy. Last year, he brought four individual qualifiers to nationals. Three of them — senior Ryan Clancy and junior Ryan Mitchell from the men’s team, sophomore Abby Knepper for the women — are back this year, but this time with all of their teammates in tow.

“Just having a team at the meet makes it that much more special,” Knepper said. “Going individually is great, but having your teammates back you up too, there is no other feeling like it.”

The conference championship was the first for the Mount Mercy men since joining the Heart of America in 2016. Sandwiched between Clancy in eighth place and Mitchell in 10th at the conference meet was former Cedar Rapids Prairie prep cross country state qualifier Brady Cortez, who finished ninth.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson graduate Lukas Lamparek finished in the top 20.

“It means a lot,” Cortez said. “We had big goals coming into the season. We thought that we could place within the top one or three, did it, got our goal and now it’s nationals.”

The national meet begins with the men’s race (8K) at 10:30 a.m., while the women run a 5K an hour later. The Mustangs are no stranger to the host course — Gans Creek Cross Country Course — as they competed there in September.

With 36 full teams, plus individual qualifiers in the field, each race is expected to have more than 350 runners ascending from a whopping 42 starting boxes.

“I wasn’t expecting there to be as many people as there was,” Knepper said of her 2023 experience at nationals. “There are so many teams, so many individuals. It was not like any other meet you have ever run at and I don't think there is really any meet that can compare it.”

Former Clear Creek Amana prep Kalin Rotzoll, fellow junior Kayla Overton and Monticello graduate Emma Althoff round out a strong quartet for the Mount Mercy women, plus Williamsburg alumna Ruth Jennings at the five spot.

“We’ve run in some big fields, so I feel like we’re pretty ready,” Barker said. “I don’t think we will get caught in the moment, but hopefully Friday we’re in a good spot to do that.”