OKLAHOMA CITY – For the first time in program history, the MACU Men's Cross Country team will have two competitors running at the NAIA National Championships as junior
Lucky Maila and sophomore
Jaden Rodriguez earned individual automatic qualifiers to compete at the event. The men's 8k meet is slated for a 9:30 a.m. EST (8:30 a.m. CST) start at the Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla.
MEN'S SEASON REPORT
- Last Meet: NCCAA National Championships – Nov. 14, 2025 – Joplin, Mo.
- Team Results: 2:11:41 / 66 / 2nd of 10
- Top Finisher: Lucky Maila – 5th – 25:23.9
- Team Notes:
- Lucky Maila and Jaden Rodriguez were selected to compete at the NAIA National Championships after coming away with third and fourth place finishes at the Sooner Athletic Conference Championship held at Pollard's Field in Siloam Springs, Ark. on Nov. 8. The top four individual finishers in the race automatically receive bids to the NAIA National Championships as Maila and Rodriguez received the second and third individual bids from the league.
- In that title tilt a few weeks ago, Maila posted a time of 25:27.3, which at the time was the second-fastest mark in MACU's 8k record book before Rodriguez finished right behind him with a 25:29.56, which set the third-best spot in the books.
- The pair helped guide the Evangels to their best ever finish at the NCCAA National Championships last weekend at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course in Joplin, Mo. on Nov. 14. As a squad, the Evangels finished second with a 66 team score and a team time of 2:11:41.
- With both runners once again finishing one right after the other, Maila earned his first NCCAA All-American honor with a fifth-place time of 25:23.9 to reset the new second-fastest mark in the MACU 8k record book. Rodriguez also posted his fastest time of the 2025 season with a 25:27.3 to place sixth in the race and notch the new fourth-best spot in the MACU record book. The result also allowed Rodriguez to earn his second NCCAA All-American honor, becoming the first men's cross country runner to achieve the honor.
- Rodriguez will be competing at the NAIA National Championships for the second time in his MACU career after qualifying as an individual following last year's SAC Championship. In last year's national meet, Rodriguez finished in the top half of the championship field, placing 154th out of 331 runners while running what was at the time the second-fastest 8k mark in the program record book at 25:31.8, which currently sits as the sixth-fastest time and Rodriguez's personal fourth-best mark.
