Ninth-Place Finish at MIAA Championships Adds to Strong Season for UCO Cross Country

Central Oklahoma’s women’s cross country team finished in ninth place at the 2026 MIAA Cross Country Championships. 

Sophomore Gabija Pukstas led the Bronchos, running a personal-record 22:30 time in the 6k race, placing her 27th overall. 

Junior Chloe Ezell followed closely at 22:47, and sophomore Lily Melton came in afterwards at 23:25. Ariane Williams, Regan Jones, Rilee Shea, and Lily Horvath also competed in the race this past Saturday. 

UCO women’s cross country has now run in four different competitions and performed notably in many of them, including a sixth-place finish at Missouri Southern’s annual Southern Stampede run this past September, which has been the Bronchos’ best team finish as of yet. In the Bronchos’ 2026 season, which was marked by the addition of many new members to the team, Pukstas believes that the Bronchos have had a successful season so far. 

“We are a young team with many new girls this year, and I think we have done an awesome job working hard and adapting to change.”

Pukstas, who led the charge for UCO, has been a key contributor for Central Oklahoma ever since she made her season debut at the Chile Pepper Festival in Arkansas. 

“I am really happy with my sophomore season so far! I am still pretty new to cross country, so it has been fun exploring a new distance and collegiate running.” 

Pukstas was the top runner for the Bronchos last year as a freshman and wants to finish off the season strong in the NCAA Central Region Championships. “As I go into our regional race, I want to really focus on running for my team. My teammates are the most encouraging and hard-working girls I have ever met, and I really want to show up for them and carry my own weight.” She added that her main focus is to run smart and pick off as many girls as possible. 

Another key contributor for the Bronchos this year is Melton, who has led the Bronchos in almost every competition this year. Melton also finished three competitions this year with 5k times that were Top 15 in school history. 

Now with only one more race remaining in the year for Central Oklahoma, Pukstas and the rest of the UCO women’s cross country team look to stay focused and perform in the biggest race of the year. 

“We have to remind ourselves to trust our coach and trust our training. We belong on the start line. We have worked incredibly hard, and we need to prepare our minds to be confident on the start line and race well.”

UCO women’s cross country will compete for the final time this season in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for the NCAA Central Region Championships on November 21st.