LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Webster University men's cross country team earned a second-place finish at the 2026 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Championships on Saturday morning at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park, placing three runners inside the top 10 in the 8,000-meter race.
Senior Ethan Nieroda led the way with a historic performance, winning the individual conference title with a season-best time of 26:34.9. Nieroda became the first individual SLIAC champion in Webster men's cross country program history and earned First Team All-Conference honors with the victory.
Nieroda's winning time also moved him to 17th on Webster's all-time 8K performance list. He crossed the finish line just two seconds ahead of Eureka's Bailey Webster, who finished second in 26:36.9.
Behind Nieroda, sophomore Simon Muthemba added another all-conference performance for the Gorloks, placing fourth overall in 26:53.8 to earn Second Team All-Conference honors. Sophomore Brayden Halter also secured Second Team All-Conference recognition after finishing ninth overall in a personal-record time of 27:31.5, shaving six seconds off his previous 8K best.
As a team, Webster totaled 50 points to finish second overall, just six points behind team champion Greenville University (44). Principia College placed third with 63 points. The Gorloks' total of 50 points marked the program's lowest team score at a traditional 8K SLIAC Championship.
Sophomore Tyler Mooney was the next Gorlok to cross the finish line, placing 19th overall in 29:34.3. Freshman Jayden Perry followed in 20th at 29:41.2 to round out Webster's five scoring runners.
Sophomore Gabe Feaman finished 21st overall in 30:09.9, senior Johnny Imboden placed 29th in 31:27.1, and senior Jacob Hawkins rounded out the Webster field with a season-best time of 33:33.6 to finish 45th overall.
"Ethan ran an extremely gutsy race and executed the race plan perfectly," said head coach Kyle Robinson. "Webster has had multiple runner-up finishes at the SLIAC Championship, so I am so incredibly proud of Ethan for pulling out the win and making history as the first individual conference champion ever for the Webster men's XC program. He did not have an easy path but worked hard to keep himself at the front of the race at all times."
"We unfortunately fell short of our goal as a team today, losing the championship by just six points," Kyle Robinson added. "I am confident that our guys will learn from today and continue to grow as we prepare for the NCAA Regional Championship in two weeks."
The Gorloks will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 14, when they compete in the 2026 NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Championships at Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island, Illinois.
