The Baker men’s cross country team finished eighth in the Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree on Saturday, while the women placed 16th.

Junior Joe Linder was the top individual finisher for the Wildcat men, placing 11th out of 168 runners in an 8K race, while Janeane Hernandez finished 52nd overall in the women’s 5K race, leading the Wildcats.

Baker was one of 14 NAIA schools competing in the Cowboy Jamboree, along with six junior colleges on the men’s side and seven on the women’s. The Wildcats were also the only team from the Heart of America Athletic Conference in the meet. The men finished fifth out of the NAIA schools competing, while the women finished 10th of those schools.

Freshman Greg Flores along with seniors Andrew Dare, Corey Matteson and Jamie Steury rounded out the top five Wildcats, all finishing in the top 75 qualifying runners. BU’s average time of 28:29 was 1:05.8 behind the first-place time of Butler Community College.

Five Wildcats placed in the top 100 out of 170 runners on the women’s side: junior Bailey Horlander, sophomore Jenna Black, senior Shelby Stephens and freshman Annie Schmucker.

Both teams will next head to the Midwest XC Invitational hosted by Avila University at 8:45 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, in Kansas City, Missouri. It will be the second-to-last meet for the Wildcats before the Heart Conference Championship meet held on the same course Nov. 5.