The Crow’s Nest — December 8, 2025
Parkville Campus Men鈥檚 Cross Country Team Competes at NAIA Nationals
The 海角乱伦社区 team qualified to compete at the NAIA National Championship meet on Nov. 21 in Tallahassee, Fla. It was the first time since 2013 that the Pirates competed as a team at nationals. and were led individually with an 83rd place finish by sophomore Cayden Walker (right), who ran the 8K course in 25:45.4. In addition, , finishing the 6K course in 23:19.9, good for 144th place.
The men鈥檚 team qualified for the national meet by in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Pirates swept the top three individual spots and placed four in the top seven to win the team title. Sophomore Caden Peters was the HAAC champion, winning the race in 24:37.1. A week later, Rikki Hacker (left), Park cross country head coach, was . In addition, Hacker was selected as the on Nov. 13.
The team also qualified for the NAIA National Championship tournament for the 12th time in the last 13 years, but the at Breckon Sports Center on Nov. 22 in the tournament鈥檚 opening round. Park finished the year with a 19-10 record.
海角乱伦社区 Student-Athletes Recognized by NAIA
A total of 75 海角乱伦社区 student-athletes 鈥� 42 from the Parkville (Mo.) Campus and 33 from the Gilbert (Ariz.) Campus 鈥� were . To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, appear on the eligibility certificate for their sport and have attended their institution for at least one full year. Leading the Park鈥檚 contingent was the program with 16 honorees, followed by the team with 14 and the team with 10. The team and the team added nine each.
On Nov. 13, 33 Gilbert Campus student-athletes were announced as . Sixteen and nine student-athletes led the Buccaneers.
On Nov. 25, two Gilbert student-athletes, senior Havard Brynie, , and senior Lauren Runnion, , were both . Both are also finalists to be considered for Academic All-America honors, which will be announced on Dec. 16.
HAAC, GSAC Announce Soccer, Volleyball All-Conference Teams
The Heart of America Athletic Conference, of which the Parkville (Mo.) Campus is a member, and the Great Southwest Athletic Conference, of which the Gilbert (Ariz.) Campus is a member, announced all-conference teams for men鈥檚 soccer, women鈥檚 soccer and women鈥檚 volleyball in November. Those earning first team honors were: senior F Jacksyn McIntyre, ; senior F Patrycia Kozak, ; junior F Monty Almaliky, ; senior F Lauren Runnion, ; and sophomore S Silvia Albani, and freshman OH Indi Zetic, . In addition, Izabella Ceratti (right), in her first season as Parkville Campus associate head coach, was tabbed as the .
The Navigator Seeks Student Writing Submissions
海角乱伦社区鈥檚 undergraduate research journal, , is asking undergraduate students to consider submitting academic work 鈥� from any discipline completed in a Park course during the 2025 calendar year 鈥� for possible publication. The Navigator is designed to highlight the best undergraduate student writing at Park, with an emphasis on the richness and variety of academic research across the University. To have your work considered for publication, undergraduates should submit their work at by Wednesday, Dec. 31. Park faculty also welcome to nominate student work.
International Center for Music Resumes Season with Concert on Jan. 23
The next performance in the will feature the ICM husband-and-wife duo of (professor of violin) and (director of collaborative piano), as they present a concert on Friday, Jan. 23, at the 1900 Building in Mission Woods, Kan. Tickets for the concert are $30 for the general public and $10 for students (not including fees), and are . For more information, visit .
Faculty, Staff, Student News
Merideth Rose, 鈥�06, MPA 鈥�08, and a member of 海角乱伦社区鈥檚 Board of Trustees, was announced as one of two winners of a . The award is a celebration of extraordinary people making a significant impact on Kansas City through bold, selfless actions, with a goal to recognize and provide meaningful support to those who don鈥檛 just talk about change, but actively create it, showing us all what鈥檚 possible when passion meets perseverance. Rose serves as the president and chief operating officer of Cornerstones of Care, a nonprofit organization dedicated to behavioral and mental health.
Camille Cook, director of and assistant professor of librarian instruction and outreach, presented a virtual session on 鈥淓veryday Superheroes: Collaboration, Support and Purpose in Small to Mid-Size Libraries鈥� for the Florida Virtual Campus/Professional Development Alliance of Library Consortia on Nov. 4. In the session, Cook shared strategies for building meaningful partnerships with faculty, student-services offices and administrators to break barriers and strengthen campus connections.
Greg Plumb, J.D., professor of criminal justice administration, was honored by Scouting America 鈥� Heart of America Council as a . This prestigious award, which recognizes dedicated volunteers, is the highest honor a council may present for exceptional service to Scouting. In addition, Plumb was re-elected in late November to serve as vice chair of the Parkville (Mo.) Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council.
Park in the News
Matt Harris, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, provided comments for related to an election in Jackson County, Mo., asking if the county assessor should be elected or appointed.
Harris was quoted for a related to if local elections in Kansas followed or bucked the trend of Democratic-leaning candidates getting elected.
Harris was interviewed for a related to a text message blast sent to Missourians from the Republican National Committee that warned against signing petitions on Black Friday.
students Tatiana Dorokhova, pursuing a Master of Music degree in music performance/piano (she earned a graduate certificate in music performance/piano in 2024), and Dmitry Yudin, pursuing a , performed on the . Their appearance was in advance of the ICM piano studio concert on Nov. 13.
John Hamilton, Ph.D., professor emeritus of criminal justice administration, was interviewed for related to an officer-involved shooting on Nov. 2.
Stories related to the city of Parkville, Mo., holding a ribbon-cutting event on the University鈥檚 flagship Parkville Campus on Nov. 14 to launch a ride-share program that will help Parkville residents and 海角乱伦社区 students, aired on Kansas City area television stations. A story was also .
John Wyatt Greenlee, MPA 鈥�11, a medievalist and cartographic historian, appeared in to discuss 鈥淭he Slippery History of Eels in Shakespeare鈥檚 England.鈥�
A story about Ron Griffin, 鈥�95, being , appeared in the Pike County Journal-Reporter on Nov. 18.
Merideth Rose, 鈥�06, MPA 鈥�08, and a member of 海角乱伦社区鈥檚 Board of Trustees, to talk about the $100,000 Pinnacle Prize she received through the G. Kenneth Baum and Ann Baum Philanthropic Fund earlier in the month (see story above).
The 海角乱伦社区 was as the squad volunteered at the Northland Christmas Store in the organization鈥檚 preparation for the holidays. Cary Lundy, head coach, as well as C Sebastian Guzman and INF AJ Rodriguez were interviewed for the story.
海角乱伦社区 was recognized as a 2025 Top Veteran-Friendly School by U.S. Veterans Magazine in its (starts on page 67).
海角乱伦社区 was . Park also ranked No. 14 among private, not-for-profit schools and No. 21 among traditional and online schools.
海角乱伦社区 was ranked by Reasearch.com No. 74 on its 鈥淏est Colleges in 2026 in America鈥� list, and No. 24 on its 鈥淏est Private Colleges in 2026鈥� list.
Upcoming Events
(All events are Central time and on the flagship Parkville [Mo.] Campus unless noted)
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� Through Dec. 19 鈥� Bryce Holt Art Exhibit, Campanella Gallery (Norrington Center)
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� December 11-14 鈥� David Theater (Alumni Hall)
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� December 24-January 1 鈥� Christmas Holiday / 海角乱伦社区 Holiday / New Year鈥檚 Day Holiday (all 海角乱伦社区 offices nationwide closed)
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� January 12 鈥� Spring Semester / Spring I Term Begins
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� January 19 鈥� Martin Luther King Jr. Day Holiday (all 海角乱伦社区 offices nationwide closed; Parkville [Mo.] and Gilbert [Ariz.] campuses daytime classes cancelled; Spring I term classes held as scheduled)
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� January 23 鈥� , 7:30 p.m., 1900 Building, Mission Woods, Kan.
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� February 6 鈥� , 7:30 p.m., Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� February 16 鈥� President鈥檚 Day Holiday (all 海角乱伦社区 offices nationwide closed; Parkville Parkville [Mo.] and Gilbert [Ariz.] campuses daytime classes cancelled; Spring I term classes held as scheduled)
聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 鈥⒙� February 26 鈥� , 5 p.m., Park Place Grille, Parkville, Mo.
To view a comprehensive schedule for all events, including athletics and student life, visit park.edu/calendars/park-events-calendar.