Massey, Barnard Finish Off 2024 Season at NAIA Cross Country Championships

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Aidan Massey and Ellie Barnard closed out the 2024 season for the Baker cross country teams as the BU duo competed in the 2024 NAIA Cross Country National Championships on Friday morning in Columbia, Mo.

With the championships taking place at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course, both races featured over 325 runners from across the NAIA. College of Idaho won the championship on the men's side, while The Master's took home the title in the women's competition. 

Massey ran in the first race of the day with the men's 8K where he placed 114th on a time of 25:15.0 and was the first runner from the Heart of America to cross the finish line. The senior from Olathe, Kan. qualified for nationals after finishing as conference runner-up at the Heart Conference Championships a couple of weeks ago, breaking BU's 8K record (24:49.1) in the process.

Barnard finished 243rd in the women's 6K race with a time of 24:06.9, shaving a few seconds off her time (24:15.9) from the Gans Creek Classic earlier this year. The junior from Eudora, Kan. secured her spot at nationals after earning all-conference honors at the Heart meet where she took 10th overall.

The Wildcats close the books on a 2024 cross country campaign that saw them both claim top-five team finishes at the Heart Championships and sweep the team titles at the 2024 Mike Spielman Classic.

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