The Red Banner Race Report

Joanna Halterman of Milligan University has seen immense progress through her last two years of cross country. During her freshman cross country season two years ago, she ran a 5k season best of 19:45. This season as a junior, she’s been on a PR streak, dropping almost two minutes over her career.  On Oct. 9, she clocked another personal best, running 17:48 in the 5k at the Royals Cross Country Challenge. She placed 16th as an individual in the event, while helping her team to a fifth-place showing as a groupJoanna has earned three Appalachian Athletic Conference Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week honors so far this season, and she is a big part of the current #3 NAIA national ranking the Milligan ladies hold. From 32nd as a freshman to the projected favorite to win the conference championship this weekend, Joanna has learned that paying attention to the small details, knowing your identity and worth outside of sports, and finding the joy in racing again have all added up to a winning combination.Send us a messageFollow RBRR on Instagram @redbannerracereport

Our guest today is Kaydence Platero, a cross country and track athlete from Haskell Indian Nations University.  She recently ran her PR of 21:39 at the Billy Mills Classic, taking second place and helping her team claim the team title.  She was named the Continental Athletic Conference Runner of the Week.  Kaydence also won the 1500-meter CAC championship on the track this past spring, and she’s a basketball player as well, with two sports often intersecting to give her a very busy academic and athletic life.Originally founded in 1884, Haskell Indian Nations University is an accredited institution of higher education located in Lawrence, Kansas and is operated by the Bureau of Indian Education, a unit of the U.S. Department of the Interior, in partial fulfillment of Federal Indian Trust Responsibility. All students are enrolled members of over 140 federally recognized American Indian Tribes or Alaska Native villages or their eligible descendants. Haskell is a uniquely Indigenous learning environment; a gathering place for scholars from across Indian country and beyond. Their curriculum emphasizes issues and perspectives of Indigenous peoples, communities, and nations.We will chat with Kaydence about life at Haskell, how she balances more than one collegiate sport, and the unique collegiate environment she loves."We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort." -Jesse Owens Send us a messageFollow RBRR on Instagram @redbannerracereport

Jack Gladfelter is tearing up the grass this cross country season for Corban University in Oregon.Last fall, Jack finished 11th at the NAIA National Championships in Tallahassee, Florida.  He holds the Corban Men’s Cross Country Record and, throughout his career, has received two USTFCCCA National Men’s Runner of the Week Honors, was named the CCC Men’s Runner of the Week, earned All-Conference honors and titles, and received All-American awards in cross country and track. He was named the CCC Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Year.  This fall, he ran at a 4:42 pace to finish in 23:25 and broke the course record at the Linfield George Oja Invitational.  This race performance is one of the fastest this season in the NAIA.With bests of 3:53 in the 1500, 14:11 in the 5K, and 29:43 in the 10K, he’s also got a large distance skill range on the track, earning All-American status in the 5K and 10K last spring at outdoor nationals and second in the indoor national 5K in March.Jack has a unique and positive perspective on just about everything, from his racing and training to his outlook on life in general.  His faith is first and foremost in everything he does, and he’s focused on living life to the fullest and doing so with joy.“But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ the righteousness from God based on faith.”‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭Send us a messageFollow RBRR on Instagram @redbannerracereport

Caleb Greene, a graduate student from Milligan University (Tenn.), was the NAIA Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, October 11.Caleb competed in the Royals Cross Country Challenge and placed sixth among 247 runners across all divisions. His time was 24:33.3, a personal best; he has dropped nearly 2 minutes in his collegiate career. His time also helped Milligan take home the team title in the event. Caleb’s finish at that time was the fastest in the Appalachian Athletic Conference this fall by over seven seconds.  He has been named the AAC’s Runner of the Week twice now this fall, and is an integral part of the team that is rapidly rising in the NAIA rankings, moving up four spots to #8 just last week.We will hear about Caleb’s experience through his competition at two different universities, his goals and training, what health factors significantly contributed to his improvement, and what’s next for him after his collegiate running career comes to an end.Send us a messageFollow RBRR on Instagram @redbannerracereport

Justin Kiplagat, a senior from Trinity Western (B.C.), was the NAIA Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week for the week ending on September 27, 2026.Justin won his first collegiate cross-country race at the WWU Bill Roe Classic with a time of 24:06.20 on the 8k course at Hovander Homestead Park in Ferndale, Wash. At that time, it was the third-fastest mark in the NAIA this fall at the 8k distance and a career-best for Justin.Justin also finished second in the mile indoors in 4:04 at NAIA Nationals last winter and has a personal best of 4:02, with a sub-4 mile on his radar for the winter of 2027.Send us a messageFollow RBRR on Instagram @redbannerracereport

Last year as a junior, Caleb Sarsland of Dickinson State saw phenomenal success, dropping his 8K personal best from 25:11 to 24:21.  He was ranked 33rd going into the 2025 NAIA XC National Meet and worked his way up into a top-ten finish, running close to his PR to take ninth on a humid Florida day that upended many of the top predictions.  He continued that success into the track season, taking fourth in the 2026 3K indoor champs, and seventh in the 10K at the 2026 outdoor track and field championship.  For a runner who had never previously raced at the NAIA track championships, Caleb didn’t just qualify; he earned a spot on the podium.  Named a “Rising Star Individual” in December by NAIA XC/T&F Central, and now a senior, Caleb has lived up to the hype…and he isn’t done yet.  He was recently named the Frontier Conference Runner of the Week for the second straight week (which he has won five times in his career) and the NAIA Runner of the Week.Send us a messageFollow RBRR on Instagram @redbannerracereport

“This is not about instant gratification. You have to work hard for it, sweat for it, give up sleeping in on Sunday mornings.”- LAUREN FESSENDENSerenity 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.Send us a messageFollow RBRR on Instagram @redbannerracereport

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.  Send us a messageFollow RBRR on Instagram @redbannerracereport

"Brave means not giving up on the things that make you feel alive." - Gabe GrunewaldOn 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.”Send us a messageFollow RBRR on Instagram @redbannerracereport

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.  Send us a messageFollow RBRR on Instagram @redbannerracereport