October 27, 2026

HELENA, Mont. – The Frontier Conference announced its final edition of 2026 Erck Hotels/Frontier Conference Men's and Women's Cross Country Runners of the Week Tuesday, following impressive performances at the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic Saturday, Oct. 24.

This is the final installment of the Erck Hotels/Frontier Conference Cross Country Runners-of-the-Week as the teams prepare for the upcoming conference meet.  Rocky Mountain (Mont.) will be hosting the conference championship races on Friday, Nov. 6, at Amend Park in Billings, Mont.

Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week
Grace Steinmetz – Bellevue (Neb.)
Sophomore – Council Bluffs, Iowa

Steinmetz continued her dominant sophomore campaign by capturing the individual title at the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic Saturday near Ashland, Neb.

She completed the women's 6-kilometer race in 21 minutes, 28.3 seconds, finishing first among 335 runners in a field featuring 40 teams.

Steinmetz established a commanding lead early in the race, holding a 27-second advantage at the 3-kilometer mark (10:20). She maintained her pace throughout the remainder of the competition to secure the individual championship.

Her winning time was just 40 seconds off her course-record performance of 20:48.1 set at the same meet last season.

Steinmetz successfully defended her Blazing Tiger individual title and extended her winning streak to three consecutive races. She remains unbeaten against NAIA competition this season.

This is Steinmetz’s seventh career Erck Hotels / Frontier Conference weekly honor.

Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week
Caleb Sarsland – Dickinson State (N.D.)
Senior – Bowman, N.D.

Sarsland continued his impressive senior campaign with a runner-up finish at the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic Saturday.

He completed the men's 8-kilometer race in 24 minutes, 35.3 seconds, placing second overall in a competitive field of 412 runners.

Sarsland's performance highlighted another strong outing for the Blue Hawks as they competed against some of the nation's top NAIA cross country programs.

His second-place finish marked another impressive result during his senior season as he continues building momentum toward the postseason.

This is Sarsland’s seventh career Erck Hotels / Frontier Conference weekly honor.
 

	Women	Men
No. 7 (Final) - Oct. 26	Grace Steinmetz - Bellevue (Neb.)	Caleb Sarsland - Dickinson State (N.D.)
No. 6 - Oct. 13	Natalee Stevens - Montana Western	Caleb Sarsland - Dickinson State (N.D.)
No. 5 - Oct. 6	Grace Steinmetz - Bellevue (Neb.)	Kole Albers - Valley CIty State (N.D.)
No. 4 - Sept. 29	Frida Barrera - Valley City State (N.D.)	Caleb Tomac - Rocky Mountain (Mont.)
No. 3 - Sept. 22	Grace Steinmetz - Bellevue (Neb.)	Oliver Morris - Carroll (Mont.)
No. 2 - Sept. 15	Kierra Miller - Dakota State (S.D.)	Caleb Sarsland - Dickinson State (N.D.)
No. 1 - Sept. 8	Grace Steinmetz - Bellevue (Neb.)	Caleb Sarsland - Dickinson State (N.D.)