The Thunder men's cross country team was represent by one individual at the NCCAA Division II Cross Country National Championship in Joplin, Missouri on Friday morning. Sophomore, Thomas Craig was that lone representative for the Thunder who was the first runner or team to qualify since 2013. Craig improved on his 8K time once again by running a 32:13, a 6:27 mile pace, to finish 44th out of 73 runners who completed the race. This concludes the 2025 season for cross country.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Cross Country, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on Instagram.

The Thunder cross country team ran in their final regular season race of the season and it saw personal records by two of our three competing runners. This race was the Last Chance Meet hosted by Ozark Christian College. They ran this ran in Seneca, Missouri. Freshman, Grace Black would run a 5K time of 25:58 and would medal finishing 3rd. Sophomore, Thomas Craig would set his personal best in his fourth consecutive race by running a 32:58 8K time, which was fast enough to qualify for the NCCAA National Championships. Senior, Ethan Stegall would run his second race of the season and improve his time by over six minutes running a 39:04 8K time.

While Black and Stegall conclude their seasons, Craig will run at the NCCAA National Championships in Joplin, Missouri on Friday, November 14th at 9:45AM.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Cross Country, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on Instagram.

Manhattan Christian College Athletics and Athletic Director, Lauren Sanders are excited to announce, introduce, and welcome to our Thunder family, Drew Hill as the head cross country coach. Coach Hill brings passion for student-athletes and for the sport of running. His character and values align perfectly with our values here at MCC, emphasizing not only athletic excellence, but also personal growth, spiritual growth, and character development. Currently, MCC has two men's runners and one woman runner with plans to fill a full men's and women's team next fall with Hill at the helm.

Hill grew up in Peoria, Arizona and graduated from Liberty High School in 2015 and was a four-year varsity letter winner in cross country and track. After high school, Hill attended MCC and played soccer for MCC and NCCAA Hall of Fame coach, Rick Wright, for four years. He was named captain of the team during his senior season. He earned his Associate of Art in Bible and Leadership from MCC.

"The relaunch of our cross country program marks a significant improvement for Manhattan Christian College Athletics. We are confident that Coach Hill will reestablish a strong foundation for this program and provide our student-athletes with an outstanding collegiate experience. This hire reflects our continued commitment to expanding opportunities for student-athletes while upholding the mission and values of MCC. We are excited to see the program develop and grow under Coach Hill!" said Sanders.

"I loved every minute I spent at MCC, which is why I’m so excited to be back here in Manhattan and getting the opportunity to give students the same great experience I had. Being the coach of a “new” program, I’m really looking forward to laying the foundation of what will hopefully be a legacy of representing Christ through our leadership and integrity on and off the course, trail, or track," said Head Coach Drew Hill.

Please join us in welcoming back Head Coach Drew Hill to the Thunder family. Hill is married to the former Shea Pearson ('19), who was a former Thunder volleyball student-athlete. They have one daughter, Josie, and are expecting a baby boy in January. He is already actively recruiting for both a men's and women's cross country team for the 2026 season.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Cross Country, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on Instagram.

The Thunder cross country team ran in their third race of the season and it saw personal records by both of our competing runners. They competed in the Firestarter Classic hosted by Allen Community College in Iola, Kansas. Freshman, Grace Black ran a personal best 25:17 shaving 42 seconds off her 5K time and finishing 22nd out of 26 runners. Sophomore, Thomas Craig would smash his personal best by running a 34:02 8K time, which was two minutes and thirty-two seconds better than his previous best this season.

The Thunder will have one final race to qualify for the NCCAA National Championships. This race will be at Ozark Christian on Saturday, November 1st at 9:00AM in Joplin, Missouri.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Cross Country, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on Instagram.

The Thunder cross country team ran their second race of the season on Friday evening as they competed in the Neosho County Community College Invite in Chanute, Kansas. Freshman, Grace Black would run her 5K in 25:59 to finish 24th. Black would shave off almost three minutes from her first collegiate 5K to set a PR in her second race. Sophomore, Thomas Craig would run a 36:34 8K and shave 19 seconds off his time from the first race. Senior, Ethan Stegall would run his first collegiate race in 45:27.

The Thunder will compete in their next race on Saturday, October 11th at 10:45am at the Allen Community College Firestarter in Iola, Kansas.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Cross Country, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on Instagram.

The Thunder cross country team competed for the first time since 2021 and traveled to North Newton, Kansas to run in the Muthama-Rogers Invitational hosted by Bethel College (KS). Freshman, Grace Black would compete in her first collegiate 5K and would run 28:55. She would finish 91st out 94 runners. Sophomore, Thomas Craig would also compete in his first collegiate race and would run his 8K in 36:53 to finish 129th out of 132 runners. While it was a tough course, both runners now have a better idea of what to expect.

The Thunder will race next on Friday, October 3rd at the NCCC Invite hosted by Neosho County Community College in Chanute, Kansas. This race will start at 5:00PM.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Cross Country, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on Instagram.