Rock Bridge senior Andrew Hauser had multiple top running programs across the country knocking on his door. 

Nationals powerhouses like Northern Arizona, North Carolina and Colorado were pouncing on the possibility of having Hauser on their cross country and track teams. He had a long list of schools to pick from, but in the end, he decided to stay home and attend MU in 2024.

After the departure of former head coach Lindsey Anderson to Weber State, the Tigers’ assistant coach Kyle Levermore made recruiting Hauser a priority. 

“He wanted to make it hard for me to say no to Mizzou and they recruited me really hard,” Hauser said. “Probably the same as all the other schools combined.”

The coaching staff also made Hauser feel wanted in his hometown school.

Going to MU over other powerhouse schools was not an easy decision for him. Hauser assumed initially that going to one of the nation’s highest rated schools would make him the best runner he could be, but that was not necessarily the case in his recruitment.

“Honestly, I think that if you asked me that question a year ago, I would have a different answer,” Hauser said.

Hauser planned to commit with friend and opponent Clay Shively, a native of Wichita, Kansas, who now finds himself at Northern Arizona. They made the majority of their visits together, but when Missouri came onto the scene late in Hauser’s recruitment, that changed.

Hauser felt prioritized by the Missouri coaching staff. He said that Missouri themselves recruited him as much as other programs combined. 

Midwest recruiting is dominated by schools like Notre Dame and Oklahoma State as they have been top programs in cross country for years.

“Runners in the Midwest are really good and there’s no reason for Mizzou not to get them,” Hauser said. “Most of them go to Oklahoma State and Notre Dame, and there’s no reason for us not to try and build something equivalent.” 

Hauser also recognizes the recent struggles the team has endured. This past year, the Tigers finished No. 9 overall in the SEC Championships. The year before that, they finished No. 8.

In 2025, the NCAA Cross Country National Championship will be hosted at Gans Creek, which is the home course for the Tigers and the host site for the Missouri State Championship. Given the Tigers’ lack of recent success on a national scale, making it to the national championship in 2025 would be a huge step.

“We really need to be there,” Hauser said. “We don’t want to run a national championship at our home course without us in it.” 

The Tigers host a meet yearly at Gans Creek, where schools in neighboring states come and compete. Most recently, Missouri finished No. 5 in the team standings.

Hauser is not looking ahead to running in college yet, as there is still an upcoming track season looming at Rock Bridge. He is focused on competing and running hard rather than the moment he crosses the finish line.

Being a homegrown talent and going to your hometown school could induce a lot of pressure — but Hauser is not feeling any of it. In fact, being close to home has made it easier because of the people around him and connections he has built.

“I don’t think there’s any added pressure from the outside,” Hauser said. “The pressure I put on myself is enough.” 

Outside of running, Hauser is most excited to meet new people and make more connections. Talking to people and being in new environments are strong suits of the incoming freshman. In practices at Rock Bridge, he usually runs alone because of his high level of intensity compared to others. 

Hauser spoke very highly of his high school coaching and training. He has a plan that works for him, which includes not overrunning weekly, taking rest days and injury prevention. His high school coaches also aided in this injury prevention, giving him rest and changing his training if needed. Hauser and Rock Bridge is coached by Neal Blackburn.

“I think my training is some of the most elevated training in the country,” Hauser said. “My coach does a very good job of making sure I don’t run too many miles, or not enough miles. At the end of the week, I feel like I could run 10 more.” 

Hauser knows the training at the collegiate level will ramp up, but he also knows there are more recovery resources to prevent him from getting injured. 

The Missouri commit tries not to set time goals for himself, but there is one on the horizon that he would love to check off: an under-four minute mile. Only 20 U.S. high school students have accomplished this mile time. 

“I’m going to try to chase down that sub-four minute mile and I’m sure there are going to be at least 15 other guys in the country doing the exact same thing,” Hauser said.

As Hauser’s high school career comes to an end and his college journey begins, he aims to prove to himself that he belongs where he is. He trusts in his training and feels that Missouri is the right place for him. 

Copy Edited by Audrey Dae Bush and Briana Iordan | biordan@themaneater.com

Edited by Genevieve Smith | gsmith@themaneater.com