LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The W cross country team earned two all-conference finishers, Jarvis Sellers (Pascagoula, Miss.) and Hannah Owens (Olive Branch, Miss.), at the 2026 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) cross country championships. In the team standings, the Owls' men's team finished seventh, and the women's team sixth, at the E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park course.  

In the men's eight-kilometer race to open the day, it was MUW sophomore Sellers making school history. Sellers completed the course in a time of 28:36.4 minutes, to finish 14th and a second team All-SLIAC designation. He became the first-ever men's cross-country runner to turn in an All-SLIAC finish. 

Sellers also slashed more than 28 full seconds off his own 8K school record, previously set on Oct. 15, 2026. He also became the first Owl to run a sub-29-minute 8K race, as well.

Christian Chipillili (34:02.3) and Noel Kellum (36:02.7) were 47th and 51st, respectively, for MUW. Three of the team's newcomers – Welton Davidson (52nd/36:44.6), I'Monn Hill (53rd/36:45.6), and Trevor Davis (59th/48:23.6) – all ran personal-best times for an 8K race.

Hill was also honored on the SLIAC's All-Sportsmanship Team.

In the women's six-kilometer event, senior Owens made it back-to-back first-team All-SLIAC awards by placing seventh. Owens crossed the line in a season-best 6K clocking of 25:43.3 minutes, marking the 23rd consecutive race in which Owens has led the Owls' team at an event.

In all, Owens has four straight All-SLIAC finishes, with second-team finishes in both 2023 and 2024. This year's seventh place was also her best placement, also gaining top-10 in 2023 (9th) and 2025 (8th), to go along with a 13th place in 2024.

Sophomore Layla Escobedo, MUW's "Swiss Army Knife" athlete, was the team's second finisher. Escobedo, who came to The W as a volleyball player in 2025 and played soccer this past fall, added cross country to her accomplishments with a 32nd place (32:12.4) at the SLIAC meet.

Cassidy Talley was 41st (36:34.7), Alaina Mathis was 45th (39:36.2), and Ketu'rah Johnson was 46th (40:47.9) to round out The W lineup. Talley's time was a personal best, while Mathis' was a season best in the 6K race.

Talley also earned a spot on the women's SLIAC All-Sportsmanship Team.