RAPID CITY, S.D. – MSU Denver men's and women's cross country wrapped up the 2026 season Saturday morning at the RMAC Championships, with the men's team placing seventh and the women's team finishing 10th.

Before taking to the course Saturday morning at the RMAC Championships, junior Darren Hayden earned the conference's most prestigious academic honor, receiving the RMAC Academic Summit Award after posting a perfect 4.0 GPA while majoring in music. 

The men's team totaled 220 points to finish seventh among 14 programs in the 8k race. Hayden led the Roadrunners with a 41st-place finish, crossing the line in 25:02.3. Carlos Cheruiyot followed closely behind in 42nd at 25:04.5, recording a personal-best time.

Jonathan Duran finished 45th in 25:09.4, while Jordan Duran placed 50th in 25:16.7 to give MSU Denver four runners inside the top 50. Parker Davidson finished 78th in 26:02.1, followed by Matthew Hayden in 88th at 26:21.4. Eisen Dacus and Josh Chadeayne both recorded personal bests, finishing 89th in 26:29.4 and 92nd in 26:37.0, respectively.

On the women's side, MSU Denver finished 10th among 15 teams with 308 points in the 6k race. Ellie Shaw paced the Roadrunners, placing 58th with a time of 23:13.0. Reese Bachman followed in 70th at 23:39.5, while Peyton Meier crossed in 73rd at 23:52.1.

Madison Danks recorded a personal-best time of 24:22.1 to finish 87th. Payton Rusk was close behind in 88th at 24:22.5, and Alexandra Doumanov rounded out the Roadrunners' lineup with a 96th-place finish in 24:48.1.

The RMAC Championships marked the conclusion of the 2026 cross country season for both Roadrunners squads, with personal-best performances and Hayden's academic recognition providing highlights from the final meet.