Joplin, MO – For the third straight year and the 14^th time in program history, Malone University took home the NCCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country national championship, winning the 2026 5,000-meter race on Friday, November 13.

The Pioneers just beat out the University of Northwestern (UNW) with 50 points to the Eagles’ 60, recording two top-10 finishes at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course and had their top-five runners all finish inside the top-15 to clinch the national championship. College of the Ozarks (CofO) finished in third with 72 points. Natalie Van De Riet of UNW won the individual championship with a time of 18:23.6. Malone’s Zach Fresenko was named Coach of the Year.

Highlights:

• Van De Riet’s time is a new personal best for the senior in the 5K, blowing away her former personal best set at last year’s NCCAA National Championship by over two minutes. Her teammate Emery Maki finished in second with a time of 18:37.2, also a personal best.
• Naomi Sotelo, Ashlynn Doolan and Nora de Walle became the first NCCAA Women’s Cross Country All-Americans for Azusa Pacific University since 2012, finishing third and fourth in the race. Sotelo finished with a time of 18:38.9, while Doolan finished with a time of 18:41.4, both personal bests. De Walle finished seventh with a time of 18:52.9, her first time running the 5K this season.
• Anna Enderle earned All-American honors for the third year in a row, as the Bethel University runner finished fifth with a time of 18:46.2.
• Rachel Whetstone became a two-time All-American after finishing sixth as the top finisher for Malone, running a time of 18:49.7 to pace the Pioneers. Her teammate Elena Price also earned All-American accolades, finishing ninth with a time of 19:07.5.
• Keena Goze and Tia Bethards from CofO rounded out the All-American honors, with Goze finishing eighth with a time of 18:58.1 to earn back-to-back All-American accolades. Bethards just beat out teammate Emilie Zylstra by 0.2 seconds to earn the last All-American spot, finishing with a time of 19:09.8, a new personal best.

Results from the NCCAA Division I Women’s 5,000-meter race can be found here. A full list of award winners can be found here.

About the NCCAA
Established in 1968, the National Christian College Athletic Association uses intercollegiate athletics to further the Great Commission and is committed to equipping student-athletes and coaches to make a positive impact for Christ. The NCCAA currently holds 24 national championship events for 86 member schools across 28 states and Ontario, Canada. For more information on the NCCAA, visit our website, thenccaa.org, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram at @thenccaa.