SPEARFISH, S.D. – After a pair of ninth place finishes at the RMAC Championships two weeks ago by their top groups, the Black Hills State University men's and women's cross country teams look to carry that momentum with them into the NCAA Division II South Central Regional. The toughest region in all of DII cross country, the Yellow Jackets will face seven nationally-ranked men's programs and eight nationally-ranked women's programs, as Gavin Kuhlenbeck and Evie Boyd seek to punch their tickets to the national championships as individuals.
 
LEWIS CROSSOVER RACE DETAILS
Date & Times: Saturday, November 8 – women's 6K race will begin at 11 a.m. while the men's 10K race will begin at 12:15 p.m.
Location: Pueblo, Colorado – Walking Stick Golf Course
 
BLACK HILLS STATE MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY STORYLINES

• The Black Hills State men's cross country team posted a pair of top-5 finishes to begin the season, first with a victory at the Gage McSpadden Memorial where they tallied 31 team points and then at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational they placed fourth with 103 team points. At the Lewis Crossover they finished 21^st with 503 points in a field of 36 teams with 12 nationally-ranked programs, and then at the RMAC Championships they finished ninth with 282 points for their best conference finish since 2020. They also defeated South Dakota Mines in a dual at the Bauer XC Classic.
• Last season at the 2024 NCAA Division II South Central Regional the men posted a tenth place finish with 329 points, their best regional finish 2018. Gavin Kuhlenbeck was an all-region performer in the meet.
• Gavin Kuhlenbeck notched back-to-back individual titles to begin the 2025 season, first starting the year with a career-best 6K time of 18:37.7 at the Gage McSpadden Memorial and then turned in an 8K time of 24:50.06 to cross the line first in the gold race of the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational. Following his win at the Nebraska hosted Greeno/Dirksen Invitational, he was voted the RMAC Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week on September 24. In his last outing at the Lewis Crossover, he posted a season-best 8K time of 24:24.36 for 15^th place out of 385 runners.
• Jaxon Straus started the season with his first career top-5 finish, crossing the finish line fourth with a career-best 6K time of 19:00.9 at the Gage McSpadden Memorial. He then turned in a 50^th place finish and an 8K time of 26:23.79 at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational. He posted a career-best 8K time of 25:33.02 for 111^th at the Lewis Crossover and then secured a 77^th place finish with a time of 27:02.9 in the 8K at the RMAC Championships.
• Turner Christians secured a pair of top-20 finishes to begin the season, first starting the year with a 6K time of 19:18.4 for 11^th at the Gage McSpadden Memorial, and then went on to a career-best 8K time of 25:42.18 for 16^th place at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational. A few weeks later he again improved that career-best 8K time with a mark of 25:40.6 for 124^th at the Lewis Crossover, and then in his last outing he ran an 8K time of 26:01.9 for 50^th at the RMAC Championships.
• Dominic Eberle also posted a pair of top-20 finishes to start the 2025 season, starting the year with a 12^th place finish and a career-best 6K time of 19:24.7 at the Gage McSpadden Memorial, followed by an 18^th place finish and season-best 8K time of 25:43.86 at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational. In his last two outings he ran to a 192^nd place finish at the Lewis Crossover with an 8K time of 26:08.7 and at the RMAC Championships he crossed the finish line 61^st with an 8K time of 26:27.1.
• Landrum Wiley began his sophomore season with his first career top-10, crossing the finish line sixth with a career-best 6K time of 19:11.0 at the Gage McSpadden Memorial, and then he added a top-30 finish and career-best 8K time of 26:02.49 for 29^th at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational. He once again improved his career-best 8K time at the Lewis Crossover, recording a top-100 finish of 91^st with a time of 25:24.14, and then in his last outing he was 65^th with an 8K time of 26:36.4 for 65^th at the RMAC Championships.
• Thomas Oylear kicked off his freshman campaign with a top-15 finish at the Gage McSpadden Memorial, notching a 6K time of 19:29.3 for 14^th, while he then went on to an 81^st place finish and an 8K time of 26:14.07 at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational. In his three most recent outings, he notched a career-best 8K time of 26:01.9 for 177^th at the Lewis Crossover, was 95^th with an 8K time of 27:43.4 at the RMAC Championships and turned in a season-best finish of third place at the Bauer XC Classic with an 8K time of 26:24.6.
• Wyatt Ostler began the season by setting a new career-best 6K time of 19:46.5 for 31^st place at the Gage McSpadden Memorial and then added another career-best with an 8K time of 26:16.07 for 46^th at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational. In his two most recent outings he was 230^th at the Lewis Crossover with an 8K time of 26:29.3 and then at the RMAC Championships he was 100^th with an 8K time of 28:10.2.
• Another freshman making an early impact, Emmett Swartzentruber started of his career in the Green & Gold with a 19^th place finish and 6K time of 19:31.1 at the Gage McSpadden Memorial. He then followed up his opening performance with a 47^th place finish and an 8K time of 26:17.67 at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational. He recorded a career-best 8K time of 25:58.1 for 167^th place at the Lewis Crossover and then added a 76^th place finish of 27:02.1 in the 8K at the RMAC Championships.
• Brian Medigovich is in his fifth season leading the Yellow Jacket cross country programs as the Director of Track & Field and Cross Country. 

BLACK HILLS STATE WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY STORYLINES

• Black Hills State opened the season with a second place team finish at the Gage McSpadden Memorial Invite, totaling 45 team points in the race, and then added a third place finish in the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational, totaling 115 team points. They turned in a 23^rd place with 585 points at the Lewis Crossover in a field of 36 teams with nine nationally-ranked programs. At the RMAC Championships they finished ninth with 256 team points, their best conference finish since 2021. The Yellow Jackets have also sent runners to the Yellowjacket/Battlin'Bears Open where they were sixth with 139 points, and then they were the lone complete team at the Bauer XC Classic.
• Last year at the 2024 NCAA Division II South Central Regional the women finished 13^th place with 399 points in a field of ten nationally-ranked programs.
• After earning her second career individual title with a career-best 4K time of 14:23.8 at the Gage McSpadden Memorial, Evie Boyd added a career-best 5K time of 18:22.33 as she raced against 169 runners at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational. Her tenth place finish at the Nebraska hosted meet was her second top-10 of the season and the seventh of her career. She continued to lead the Yellow Jacket lineup in her last two outings, placing 53^rd with a 6K time of 22:31.23 and then placed 33^rd with a career-best 6K time of 22:07.88 at the RMAC Championships.
• Emma Hofmeister started the season with a top-10 and 4K time of 15:20.2 at the Gage McSpadden Memorial and followed it up with a 21^st place finish and a 5K time of 19:09.25 in her first career race at that distance. In her last two outings she also recorded sub-23 minute 6K times of 22:57.0 for 89^th at the Lewis Crossover, and 22:53.2 for 53^rd at the RMAC Championships.
• Abigail Robberson is coming off a season-best 6K time of 23:49.0 for 76^th place at the RMAC Championships and prior to that she was 190^th place with a 6K time of 24:02.7 at the Lewis Crossover. She secured a top-30 finish in Lincoln at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational with a finish of 28^th place with a career-best 5K time of 19:31.89. She opened the season with a career-best 4K time of 16:19.1 at the Gage McSpadden Memorial for 30^th place.
• Mason Berg has kicked-off her freshman campaign with back-to-back top-30 finishes, starting with a 19^th place finish and 4K time of 15:57.8 at the Gage McSpadden Memorial, followed by a 29^th place finish and 5K time of 19:32.13 at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational. In her first two career 6K races she posted times of 23:28.4 for 141^st at the Lewis Crossover and 23:07.4 for 61^st at the RMAC Championships.
• Alyssa Brandt made her sophomore debut at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational, posting a time of 19:53.14 in her first career 5K race at the collegiate level, finishing 42^nd overall in just her third career appearance in the Green & Gold. Since then, she has recorded finishes of 214^th at the Lewis Crossover with a career-best 6K time of 24:19.3, was 99^th at the RMAC Championships with a 6K time of 24:35.5 and was seventh at the Bauer XC Classic with a 6K time of 25:26.0.
• With back-to-back career-best times to start the season, Sierra Hopp began 2025 with a career-best 4K time of 15:32.3 for a tenth place finish at the Gage McSpadden Memorial and then notched a 35^th place finish and career-best 5K time of 19:36.89 at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational. In her last two outings at the 6K distance, she ran to a 23:40.7 time for 154^th place at the Lewis Crossover and then was 77^th at the RMAC Championships with a time of 23:49.8.
• Beginning the year with a career-best 4K time of 15:30.5 for ninth place at the Gage McSpadden Memorial was Gracie Craig, she then followed it up by turning in a top-50 performance at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational as she clocked a 5K time of 19:56.84 for 48^th place. In her first two 6Ks of the season, she turned in a time of 24:35.9 for 224^th at the Lewis Crossover and then was 73^rd at the RMAC Championships with a season-best time of 23:36.1.
• After beginning the season with a 39^th place finish and 4K time of 16:44.8, Katie Charest posted a 5K time of 20:04.96 for 56^th place at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational. In her last outing she recorded a 6K time of 26:37.1 for 303^rd place at the Lewis Crossover.
• Brian Medigovich is in his fifth season leading the Yellow Jacket cross country programs as the Director of Track & Field and Cross Country.