COLUMBIA, Mo. - In their final college race, the 69th Annual NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championship hosted by Columbia College, William Woods University's Ian Schwierjohn and Jenson Starr gave it their all on a chilly Friday morning. Schwierjohn ran his first sub-26-minute 8k at 25:39.2, and Starr ran his quickest nationals time in three appearances at 25:33.1. It was a full circle moment for both, with it happening at Gans Creek Cross Country Course, where the MSHSAA state championships are held and where the Owls have ran in many events.

"I finished high school here, and so to come back here and do it again in college was really nice," Schwierjohn said. "I was not expecting the outcome at all. I was really just trying to run my race today and just kind of go against the competition. I wasn't worried about time, but in the end, it worked out with a PR time."

"It definitely does," Starr said when asked if it made it special to run his final race at Gans Creek. "My last race in high school was Gans Creek on the first race they ever hosted here back in 2019. So yeah, it's definitely a full-circle moment, being able to come out here and finish out my collegiate career at Gans Creek."

Starr took 159th out of 326 runners, and despite feeling under the weather, he was 23.5 seconds away from a top 100 finish.

"Not my best race," Starr said. "I've been dealing with sickness for a couple of weeks, and I definitely felt that today. Yeah, very disappointed with the race today, but it wasn't meant to be. Gave everything I had, and that's what it was."

Schwierjohn placed 180th, surpassing his previous personal record, set just under a month ago at the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic, by 34.3 seconds.

"From the start, I knew it was gonna be quick," Schwierjohn said. "The first kilometer was like 3:05, which is pretty moving for a cross country race. I was still hanging in the back of the pack. I just kind of wanted to keep it around 5:12, 5:10 per mile, the first mile, and I came to the 5k, like 15:40 something to 15:50, usually quicker than I go, but I still felt really good. And going to the last 3k loop, I was just focused on moving with each pack in front of me and get on the next guy. I was trying to find Jenson as best I could. I caught up to him and then just caught up to him, and up to the finish, I just had everything else I could." 

William Woods men's cross country coach Dan Schwab, who brought in Starr as a transfer from NCAA Division I Witchita State University and recruited Schwierjohn from Orchard Farm in 2021, gave his thoughts on how the two did in their final competition.

"Just super fast today, national championship, kind of as expected," Schwab said. "Ian, massive PR, over 30 seconds. Jenson battled. It's just everybody out there is fast, and it's just tough to place in the top 40 (required finish to be an All-American)."

Staples of the program and both part of last season's American Midwest Conference team-title-winning squad, Starr, a three-time All-AMC honoree, and Schwierjohn, a two-time All-AMC selection, shared what it has been like in their time running for Owls men's cross country.

"I love William Woods," Starr said. "I'm disappointed about today, but I'm really happy with the season. Getting second at conference is really cool. Breaking 25 and getting the school record, I'm really happy about that, and that's something I'll be looking back at forever. So yes, it didn't end how I wanted it to end, but it was a good season. So, I'm happy with that."

"It's been a home away from home, coming from high school cross country," Schwierjohn said. "This is a really tight-knit group of guys here; it's been the same way. I've seen these guys every day, in and out, on the weekends, weekdays, in the office, whatnot, and I'm putting in miles. Over the fall and summer and spring with them. I really love the program here. I love coach Schwab, coach (Greg) Keeler. I can't thank them enough. They turned me into the athlete I've been. Yeah, it's very nice running with Jenson one last time on the course."

Oklahoma City University's Evert Silva won the individual national championship with a time of 23:13.9, and College of Idaho topped the 36-team leaderboard with 87 points and a top-five total time of 2:01:34.8 and a top-five average of 24:18.96.

Meet Results
159 Jenson Starr - 25:33.1 (5:08.41 mile pace)
180 Ian Schwierjohn - 25:39.2 (PR, prev. 26:13.5) (5:09.64 mile pace)