Women’s Cross Country Team Finish 33rd in NCAA Central Region Championships

The University of Central Oklahoma women’s cross country team finished 33rd overall in their final race of the season in Joplin, Missouri, this past Saturday morning at Missouri Southern’s Tom Rutledge Course for the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division II Central Region Championships.

Freshman Gabija Pukstas led the way for the Bronchos, completing the 6k race with a season-best time of 23:38. Pukstas finished first for the Bronchos in all five races this past season. In the two 6k races she has competed in, the freshman finished with times of 25:09 and 23:51, 

Senior Genevieve Young finished second for UCO with a time of 24:54. Young has also consistently finished runner-up for Central in every race for the Bronchos this season. The Senior finished both her previous 6k races with times of 26:59 and 26:14.  

Freshman Maya Winterburn finished with a time of 25:29.9, freshman Gianna Weatherspoon completed the race in 27:18, and freshman Tori McIntosh ended her final race of the season with a time of 29:03. All three of these times are season-bests for each of the runners, making it five runners who recorded their personal best times for the Bronchos. 

Senior Kylee Smith crossed the finish line with a time of 27:13

As their 2025 fall season comes to an end, the cross country team will head into their Indoor Track and Field season, with their first event scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Washburn Alumni Invitational in Topeka, Kansas.