Missouri men’s cross country has turned heads this season, with senior Drew Rogers being the driving force.
Throughout the season, Rogers has notched impressive performances, finishing 43rd in the Gans Creek Classic with a time of 23:18.9 seconds. Most recently, Rogers placed 12th in the Missouri Pre-National Invitational with a time of 23:24.7.
In the 2024 season, Rogers brought down his times by almost a minute every race. He went from 23:44.4 seconds in his first race at Gans Creek to 22:54.1 seconds in the Southeastern Conference Cross Country Championship.
Rogers’ drive for success has enabled some of his other teammates to go above and beyond in the early parts of this season. After a commanding second-place finish at the Pre-National Invitational for the Tigers, Rogers commented on how important it was for his team to bounce back after their performance earlier in the season.
“I think maybe it bit some of our guys in the butt the last 5k [we ran as a team] it’s a little bit frustrating,” Rogers said. “But to see us getting second here and being frustrated, I’d say it’s a decent day.”
Throughout the season, first-year Elijah Limo also emerged as a leader. The duo of Limo and Rogers finished within a second of each other at the Pre-National Invite. Rogers has had high praise of Limo and the work that he puts into his craft.
“He is the hardest worker on the team, and no one has more heart than that kid,” Rogers said. “He’s a beast, and I love training, since he pushes me every day, and it’s a healthy competition. We’re always happy for each other.”
After being ranked the third-highest team in the SEC, Rogers said the team’s body of work speaks for itself.
“We know how good we are,” Rogers said. “We think that we are maybe a top-15 team in the country, and I feel like we have been showing that.”
Attention to detail and trust in the coaching staff has become this team’s foundation, something that they will carry with them into the post season.
“In reality, we just need to go back to training, sleep well and do all the right things that we have been doing all year, and it’ll come together,” Rogers said.
Rogers and the Tigers will start their postseason Friday, Oct. 31 in the SEC Championship at the Cherokee Farm Cross Country Course in Knoxville, Tennessee.
