“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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Sarah Kirby of Central Methodist University was recently named the Heart of America Conference Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week for two straight weeks. At the Great River Open 4K on Sept. 4, Sarah won the race in 15:39, then followed up that performance with a 6th-place finish at the Larry Young Invitational on Sept. 11 in 19:35. After a serious auto accident, Sarah had to overcome major physical injuries and obstacles, but chose to face her challenges with a positive, no-excuses mindset. Sarah has seen immediate improvement in her cross country performance as a senior, has bigger goals for the rest of the season, and is a perfect example of how transforming your attitude can directly impact your results.

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"Brave means not giving up on the things that make you feel alive." - Gabe Grunewald

On Sept. 7, 2026, Huntington University’s Abigail Gentz was named the Crossroads League Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week; then, a day later, the USTFCCCA NAIA Women's National Athlete of the Week - the first such honor awarded in the 2026 cross country season.

At Indiana Wesleyan’s Twilight Invite on Labor Day weekend, Abbey navigated a 5k field of 184 runners to claim the individual title with a time of 18:25 - pulling away from the competition by an extraordinary 40 seconds. The margin of victory is impressive, especially since she outpaced runners from five nationally ranked programs.

The national recognition is the exclamation point on a weekend that served as Abbey’s first cross country race since 2024 and reminded the NAIA what she's capable of. After missing all of last season and not racing for a year and a half, the victory at IWU became another page in her redemption story.

Abbey suffered from epileptic seizures, a brain aneurysm, and other critical health events that required a life flight, intubation, medically induced coma, and multiple hospital stays. She had to learn to start over at absolute zero through inpatient rehab, relearning how to walk, eat, speak, and endure months of physical, speech, and occupational therapy.

As Abbey said, "Self-reliance fails in the face of crisis", and being patient and waiting for a breakthrough in trials can be incredibly frustrating and discouraging. Her story and unshakeable faith will leave you feeling grateful, inspired, and hopefully remind you that the ability to run is an amazing privilege.

“Honestly, lining up for a college cross country meet after a year and a half away is something I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to do again. So many people told me that running was off the table for good. But God had other plans. He taught me patience with every painful step and reminded me that as long as I’m here, my purpose isn’t finished. Day by day, he gave me the strength to keep pushing…It wasn’t about the clock or where I placed; every stride was a win. I took in every second, living out the exact prayer I had been living for so long: just to be back doing what I love with my teammates. Lacing up and putting one foot in front of the other is a complete miracle, and I’m never taking it for granted again.”

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Welcome back to the Red Banner Race Report Podcast, where we feature and celebrate the amazing moments, mindsets, and miles of cross country and track and field within the NAIA.

If you’re an NAIA middle-to-long distance athlete, coach, fan, supporter, or even quite possibly one outside the NAIA, you know that the Instagram account NAIA XC/TF Central is the go-to source for in-depth pre-to-post season predictions, coverage, rankings, race reports, analysis, and more. With the first Instagram post going live on June 15, 2024, to expand on their NAIA LetsRun threads, the account billed as “The Premiere Hub for NAIA XC and TF news” now has 12 admin contributors and over 3500 followers, growing each day. In a division that often takes a back seat to the publicity of the NCAA, the awareness of the NAIA has rapidly risen along with the quality of the athletes’ performances. In fact, some of the top NAIA athletes rival some of the best the NCAA has to offer, albeit in smaller numbers. Join two of the account’s crew, Corban Phillips and Mike Reif, to get the inside scoop on all things cross country and track and field in the NAIA.

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Spring Arbor University’s Dean Reynolds is one of the Cougars’ most accomplished runners in school history, winning a national championship outdoors in the 4x800 relay (watch here) in 2023 in arguably one of the most epic races to the line in meet history. He was a multi-time Crossroads League champion in events ranging from the 4x400 relay to the 4x800 and 1500, and he was the 2024 League cross country runner-up. Part of nationally top-ranked relays throughout his collegiate career, he holds school records in the 4x800 indoors and outdoors, the DMR, and has top-five school performances in the 800, 1000, mile, 4x400, and is even top ten in the 3K. Dean ends his career as an 8-time NAIA track All-American in the 800, 1000, 1500, DMR, and 4x800. Before Dean arrived at SAU, he had a fantastic high school career for Hanover Horton High School, finishing 5th at Michigan’s D3 cross country state meet, winning all but one meet his senior year prior to states. He was an 800-meter state champion on the track in 1:55, as well.

Despite all his success, Dean will be the first one to tell you that his faith comes first. When a serious medical incident at the national meet prevented him from racing as one of the top-ranked athletes, he had to step back and take stock of what mattered, how to deal with disappointment and frustration, and what lessons he believed God was teaching him in those moments. He’s also had to navigate the end of his collegiate career and the grieving process and loss of identity that can entail, which is something many athletes are not prepared for. I have had the privilege of knowing Dean personally, as he was one of my son’s teammates, and he was a major factor in my son deciding to attend Spring Arbor. Dean has a lot of great wisdom to share. His perspective on life, his growth as both a person and an athlete, and his dedication to his physical, spiritual, and mental health will hopefully inspire you to live with purpose and integrity.

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Baker College in Owosso, Michigan, recently announced the addition of athletics, including cross country, to its campus. The Baker Bees will be part of the Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) and compete within the NAIA division.

From Baker College's Press Release:

Baker College has named Adam Trausch as its new Head Cross Country Coach, bringing nearly 15 years of collegiate coaching experience and a proven track record of building successful programs, developing student-athletes, and fostering academic achievement.

A Michigan native from Grand Rapids, Trausch joins Baker after serving as head men’s and women’s cross country and track and field coach at Lyons College in Arkansas. He successfully relaunched the institution’s cross country programs and later expanded his leadership role to include track and field and athletic compliance responsibilities. Trausch guided student-athletes to conference championships, all-conference honors, national qualifying performances, and academic recognition.

In 2024, Trausch and his staff were named USCAA Men’s Cross Country Coaching Staff of the Year, and in 2022 he was recognized as the American Midwest Conference Coach of Character. His teams consistently earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors, reflecting his commitment to excellence both on the course and in the classroom.

Trausch’s coaching career includes collegiate stops at Defiance College, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and Wisconsin Lutheran College, where he helped mentor conference champions, all-conference performers, and nationally recognized student-athletes.

A former cross country and track and field student-athlete at Davenport University, Trausch was the first runner in program history and earned four WHAC All-Conference selections while also being recognized as a Daktronics Scholar-Athlete throughout his collegiate career. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in health service administration and is a USATF Level 1 certified coach.

“I’m excited and honored to be named the head cross country coach at Baker College,” said Trausch. “Being from Michigan, it’s especially meaningful to return to the state and join Baker College. I look forward to fostering a competitive and positive culture while developing our student-athletes and building a program that values relationships, accountability, and sustained success.”

As Baker College continues to grow its athletics programs, Trausch will lead recruiting efforts and help establish a strong foundation for cross country while supporting the college’s commitment to student success, leadership development, and competitive excellence.

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Bellevue University's Grace Steinmetz's college coach called her rapid ascent a "huge understatement" of a surprise, and there’s no better way to explain the incredible trajectory of improvement for this athlete. Grace had a high school cross country 5K best of 20:34, and she was 73rd at the Iowa Class 1A cross country state meet as a senior, with track bests of 2:30 for the 800, 5:37 for the 1600…no state titles, no national appearances, a few all-state awards…just your regular high school runner. And then all semblance of average disappeared. As a collegiate freshman, Grace won in Sioux City, Iowa, at the Dordt Classic last October, becoming just the second NAIA runner at that time in the season to break 21 minutes, running 20:40 and breaking her own school record and setting the course record by over a minute. She was named the NAIA Athlete of the Week and the Frontier Conference Runner of the Year for her efforts. By the end of her first collegiate season in November, she had set cross country school records of 17:33 in the 5K and 20:40 in the 6K, winning her conference and taking fifth at the NAIA cross country national championships, the best-ever finish for Bellevue, garnering NAIA USTFCCCA Midwest Region Athlete of the Year honors.

She now owns the 1500, 5K, and 10K track school records at Bellevue University, along with the DMR and 4x800 records, with personal bests of 4:42, 17:08, and 35:12, respectively. She’s a multi-time track conference champ, both indoors and outdoors, was All-American in both the 5K and 10K outdoors, and was named the Freshman of the Year by NAIA Track and Field Central.

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Welcome back to another episode of the Red Banner Race Report Podcast, the show where we dive deep into the minds, the miles, and the mindsets of the athletes chasing college running’s ultimate prize. Representing the Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats, Trenton Sweet is our guest in this episode.

If you look back at his TFRRS page in early 2025, he opened his collegiate 5,000-meter career with a 15:29. This past season, Trenton blew the doors off the track. He broke the 14-minute barrier at the Bison Outdoor Classic with a blazing 13:59.26, hauled in a pair of 3rd-place All-American finishes at Indoor Nationals in the 3,000 meters and the DMR, and then went down to Asheville to capture the NAIA Outdoor National Title in the 5,000 meters in 14:15.

He is officially an NAIA National Champion, a sub-14-minute 5K runner, and now one of the most dominant distance forces returning in the NAIA…and he will only be a junior this fall.

We’ll chat with Trenton about how he managed the tactical pressure of being the man to beat on the national stage, what it’s like chasing Red Banners alongside his teammates, and how the powerhouse culture of the Crossroads League prepares him for the biggest moments in the sport. Plus, we’ll get a look into his goals for the upcoming cross country season, and find out what hobbies and time off look like for a guy who seems to rarely slow down.

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