The Bellevue University men's cross country program, under head coach Craig Christians, has announced the addition of four recruits to the 2025-26 class.

The following student-athletes will begin their academic and athletic careers at Bellevue University beginning in the fall of 2025. 

• Jack Brown, Dakota Valley HS, North Sioux City, S.D.
• Josh Fletcher, Sioux Falls Christian HS, Sioux Falls, S.D.
• Cody Fikar, Lincoln Southeast HS, Lincoln, Neb.
• Trey Larson, Philip HS, Philip, S.D.

Brown placed third at the 2024 South Dakota Class A cross country championships. He later ran a season-best 15:38.9 for 5 kilometers at the Nike Heartland Regional meet in Sioux Falls. Brown brings track personal bests of 4:24.71 for 1600 meters and 9:37.76 for 3200 meters. He placed fourth at 1600 meters and seventh in the 3200 at the 2024 South Dakota State Meet.

Fletcher finished one spot behind Brown at the Class A cross country championship last fall, finishing in fourth place, running 16:44.1. Like Brown, he ran a season-best at the Nike Regional with a 16:07.6 clocking. On the track, Fletcher has run 4:36.90 for 1600 meters and 9:06.23 for 3000 meters.

Fikar was 35th at the Nebraska Class A State cross country meet last fall. He holds a personal best of 16:03.5 for 5K at the Platte River Rumble. On the track, he has personal bests of 4:33.67 for 1600 meters and 10:08.90 for 3200.

Larson was part of the 2024 South Dakota Class B Cross Country State Championship team from Philip. He placed eighth for the Scotties, running 17:35.3. His 5K cross country best is 16:44.1. His 800 meter best on the track is 2:01.84, and his Philip team was runner-up at State in the 4x800 relay. He has a 1600-meter best of 4:45.10.

Head Coach Craig Christians: "This will clearly be our best freshman recruiting class in program history. The program made big strides last fall by advancing to the NAIA Cross Country National Championships, and this group will keep us moving in the right direction as we face the challenges of joining the Frontier Athletic Conference. Jack, Josh, Cody, and Trey all have the potential to make an immediate impact while creating a very bright future, too."