Rockhurst sophomore Carrington Hessen made history Saturday (Nov. 7) morning, becoming the first runner in program history to win an individual Great Lakes Valley Conference Cross Country Championship at the 2026 GLVC Championships in Springfield, Missouri.

Hessen dominated the women's 6,000-meter race, crossing the finish line in a school-record time of 20:01.86. She finished more than 23 seconds ahead of runner-up Natalie Gerdes of Southwest Baptist, who clocked a time of 20:25.01.

The Hawks finished fourth overall as a team, tying the best finish in program history at the GLVC Championships while rewriting the school record books with several standout performances.

The historic victory marked another milestone in Hessen's outstanding sophomore campaign, adding a conference championship to a season that has already featured multiple school records and GLVC Runner of the Week honors.

Hessen established herself among the leaders early, moving into first place by the 2,000-meter mark. She continued to build her advantage throughout the race, holding a lead of more than 20 seconds at the 5,000-meter mark before pulling away for the victory.

Freshman Natalie Hawthorne gave the Hawks a second All-GLVC performer, finishing 17th overall in 21:35.68. Sophomore Keira Naidoo followed in 33rd place with a time of 22:21.69, while junior Laney Parmeley placed 38th in 22:37.34.

Freshman Brooke Stephenson rounded out Rockhurst's top five finishers, placing 45th in 22:44.09. Senior Alexis Borum finished just behind her in 47th place with a time of 22:44.73.

The Hawks will return to action on Saturday (Nov. 21) at the NCAA Midwest Regional, where they will compete in the women's 6,000-meter race.

Full Rockhurst Results

1st – Carrington Hessen – 20:01.86
17th – Natalie Hawthorne – 21:35.68
33rd – Keira Naidoo – 22:21.69
38th – Laney Parmeley – 22:37.34
45th – Brooke Stephenson – 22:44.09
47th – Alexis Borum – 22:44.73
49th – Grace Kaiser – 22:56.12
58th – Andie Garrett – 23:17.11
81st – Kaitlyn Davis – 24:04.11
84th – Ella Easton – 24:17.65
105th – Emily Medina Benitez – 25:35.37
111th – Alexis O'Mara – 26:03.57