Oklahoma City’s Talbi, Huntington’s Wilson continue momentum from NAIA Indoor Championships in March, achieving runaway victories in Iowa; St. Francis (Illinois) women, Taylor men build on 2019 podium finishes to secure big wins 

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The most dominant distance athletes in the NAIA showed no signs of slowing down from the Indoor Track and Field Championships five weeks ago with their performances Friday at the cross country national final in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Oklahoma City sophomore Zouhair Talbi and Huntington sophomore Emma Wilson produced impressive victories on the Seminole Cross Country Course, hosted by Mount Mercy, both achieving the second consecutive individual titles for their respective programs, after former teammates captured championships in 2019.

Talbi was competing for Northwest Kansas in 2019, finishing second at the National Junior College Athletic Association Division 1 Championships in Albuquerque, N.M.

Wilson was 186th for Illinois at her last cross country national final nearly 17 months ago at the NCAA Division 1 Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. 

Talbi covered the 8-kilometer course in 23 minutes, 45.15 seconds, leading three Oklahoma City athletes in the top four, as freshman Shimales Abebe was runner-up in 24:05.47, with junior Sair Salgado fourth in 24:29.51.

Talbi captured the indoor 5,000 title March 6, along with contributing to a distance medley relay championship for the Stars, who had Mark Shaw capture individual cross country crowns in 2017 and 2019.

Oklahoma City’s pursuit for a third straight team title resulted in a fourth-place finish with 131 points.

Taylor, led by junior Alex Helmuth finishing fifth in 24:30.90, placed five scorers in the top 25 to capture its first national championship with 73 points. The Trojans were second to Oklahoma City at the 2019 national final.

Huntington, with senior Adrien Gentie taking third in 24:29.47, placed second with 114 points. Milligan, behind freshman Aaron Jones earning eighth in 24:48.21, secured third overall with 127 points.

Wilson, who won indoor championships March 3-5 in the mile, 3,000 and DMR, covered the 5-kilometer course Friday in 17:02.86, following Hannah Stoffel’s individual title in 2019 for the Foresters, before transferring to Indiana University during the winter.

Kentucky Christian senior Sierra Poppell was second in 17:38.67 and Montana Tech senior Becca Richtman placed third in 17:42.02.

St. Francis (Illinois), which finished fourth in 2019, had four scorers in the top 30, with junior Daly Galloway (18:12.71), sophomore Katherine Bakken (18:13.99) and junior Sabrina Baftiri (18:15.14) finishing 13th, 15th and 17th, respectively.

Although College of Idaho didn’t have any competitors in the top 30, all five scorers for the Yotes produced a 12-second gap and finished from 33rd to 49th overall to take runner-up honors with 146 points. 

Taylor, led by senior Olivia Schroder securing 10th in 18:09.39, took third with 217 points, just ahead of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona. Junior Ariana Anderson finished fourth for Embry-Riddle in 17:42.09.