Friday, October 16
Terre Haute, Ind.
10:00 AM ET
Liberty University
at
Under Armour Pre-National Invitational
Liberty women's runners will compete in both Terre Haute, Ind., and Salem, Va., this week.
Liberty XC to Wrap Up Regular Season with 2 Meets
10/14/2026 2:44:00 PM | Cross Country
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty will close out the regular season portion of its 2026 cross country schedule with a pair of competitions. Most of the Flames and Lady Flames will race at the Under Armour Pre-National Invitational, Friday in Terre Haute, Ind. Liberty will also send five women to the Roanoke XC Invitational, Saturday in Salem, Va.
Both Liberty squads will take part in the blue (seeded) races in Terre Haute, beginning with the women's 6K at 10 a.m. and concluding with the men's 8K at 10:40. All four of the day's races will be contested at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, site of next month's 2026 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.
Meanwhile, Saturday's women's 6K in Salem is scheduled for a 10 a.m. start at Green Hill Park.
How to Follow the Flames and Lady Flames
The Under Armour Pre-National Invitational will air on RunnerSpace +PLUS.
Live results will available for both meets, courtesy of PrimeTime Timing (Under Armour Pre-National Invitational) and Snap Timing (Roanoke XC Invitational).
Weather Report
Liberty will enjoy its first cool weather for a race this season.
Friday's forecast in Terre Haute calls for cloudy, breezy weather with a high in the mid-50s.
Saturday in Salem will see a high in the upper-50s, a noticeable breeze and a chance of morning rain showers.
Looking Back
The Lady Flames notched an impressive showing at the 2025 Pre-National Invitational in Columbia, Mo. Allie Zealand clocked a program-record 6K time of 19:40.4 to finish fifth overall. Her effort helped Liberty come in ninth out of 38 women's teams.
Meanwhile, Eden Alexander came in seventh at last year's Roanoke XC Invitational, one spot ahead of Sonja Semling, who was competing unattached. They are both entered in Saturday's race along with Sophia Park, who placed 10th during the 2024 Roanoke XC Invitational as Liberty took home the team championship trophy.
Hoosier State Honors
Liberty will compete at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute for the first time since the 2019 Pre-National Invitational.
Some of the greatest moments in Liberty cross country history have taken place in Terre Haute. All three of the Flames' NCAA Division I men's cross country individual titles have been won there, including Josh McDougal's crown in 2007 and Sam Chelanga's back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010.
Chelanga owns the men's 8K (22:51.3) and 10K (28:41.3) course records, both of which stand as Liberty's school records.
Team Title
The Lady Flames are coming off their first-ever team championship at the 52nd edition of the Paul Short Run, Oct. 2 in Bethlehem, Pa. Liberty put five women inside the first 42 finishers to take top honors among the 37-team field (which included 21 regionally ranked squads).
Liberty's lofty finishers included Allie Zealand (fourth place), Rachel Hill (19th), Ryann Aycock (24th), Kate Loescher (26th) and Raini Mayo (42nd). As a result, the Lady Flames notched their third consecutive top-three finish to begin the year.
On Friday, Liberty will face a field headlined by No. 1 NC State and No. 2 BYU. The Lady Flames will also go head-to-head with Southeast Region foes NC State, North Carolina, Clemson, Duke and Kentucky as they look to improve upon their No. 13 regional ranking.
A Few Firsts
The Liberty men's team ended up eighth of 35 men's squads at the Paul Short Run. Ethan Pedersen crossed the line 14th to serve as the Flames' No. 1 finisher for the first time in his four-year career. Meanwhile, Malachi Burnett broke 25:00 (24:57.7) for the first time to place 47th.
Pedersen (CUSA Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week) and Burnett (CUSA Men's Freshman of the Week) each claimed their first conference accolades as a result.
Like the Lady Flames, Liberty's men's team will face a tough challenge on Friday. No. 8 Syracuse leads seven nationally ranked squads to Terre Haute.
Up Next
Liberty will head to Huntsville, Ala., for the 2026 CUSA Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships. The meet will take place on Oct. 31 at John Hunt Park.
The women's 6K will begin at 10 a.m. Eastern and the men's 8K will follow at 11 a.m. Eastern, with both races set to air on ESPN+.
The Liberty women's squad will aim for its third consecutive CUSA title.
Both Liberty squads will take part in the blue (seeded) races in Terre Haute, beginning with the women's 6K at 10 a.m. and concluding with the men's 8K at 10:40. All four of the day's races will be contested at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, site of next month's 2026 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.
Meanwhile, Saturday's women's 6K in Salem is scheduled for a 10 a.m. start at Green Hill Park.
How to Follow the Flames and Lady Flames
The Under Armour Pre-National Invitational will air on RunnerSpace +PLUS.
Live results will available for both meets, courtesy of PrimeTime Timing (Under Armour Pre-National Invitational) and Snap Timing (Roanoke XC Invitational).
Weather Report
Liberty will enjoy its first cool weather for a race this season.
Friday's forecast in Terre Haute calls for cloudy, breezy weather with a high in the mid-50s.
Saturday in Salem will see a high in the upper-50s, a noticeable breeze and a chance of morning rain showers.
Looking Back
The Lady Flames notched an impressive showing at the 2025 Pre-National Invitational in Columbia, Mo. Allie Zealand clocked a program-record 6K time of 19:40.4 to finish fifth overall. Her effort helped Liberty come in ninth out of 38 women's teams.
Meanwhile, Eden Alexander came in seventh at last year's Roanoke XC Invitational, one spot ahead of Sonja Semling, who was competing unattached. They are both entered in Saturday's race along with Sophia Park, who placed 10th during the 2024 Roanoke XC Invitational as Liberty took home the team championship trophy.
Hoosier State Honors
Liberty will compete at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute for the first time since the 2019 Pre-National Invitational.
Some of the greatest moments in Liberty cross country history have taken place in Terre Haute. All three of the Flames' NCAA Division I men's cross country individual titles have been won there, including Josh McDougal's crown in 2007 and Sam Chelanga's back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010.
Chelanga owns the men's 8K (22:51.3) and 10K (28:41.3) course records, both of which stand as Liberty's school records.
Team Title
The Lady Flames are coming off their first-ever team championship at the 52nd edition of the Paul Short Run, Oct. 2 in Bethlehem, Pa. Liberty put five women inside the first 42 finishers to take top honors among the 37-team field (which included 21 regionally ranked squads).
Liberty's lofty finishers included Allie Zealand (fourth place), Rachel Hill (19th), Ryann Aycock (24th), Kate Loescher (26th) and Raini Mayo (42nd). As a result, the Lady Flames notched their third consecutive top-three finish to begin the year.
On Friday, Liberty will face a field headlined by No. 1 NC State and No. 2 BYU. The Lady Flames will also go head-to-head with Southeast Region foes NC State, North Carolina, Clemson, Duke and Kentucky as they look to improve upon their No. 13 regional ranking.
A Few Firsts
The Liberty men's team ended up eighth of 35 men's squads at the Paul Short Run. Ethan Pedersen crossed the line 14th to serve as the Flames' No. 1 finisher for the first time in his four-year career. Meanwhile, Malachi Burnett broke 25:00 (24:57.7) for the first time to place 47th.
Pedersen (CUSA Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week) and Burnett (CUSA Men's Freshman of the Week) each claimed their first conference accolades as a result.
Like the Lady Flames, Liberty's men's team will face a tough challenge on Friday. No. 8 Syracuse leads seven nationally ranked squads to Terre Haute.
Up Next
Liberty will head to Huntsville, Ala., for the 2026 CUSA Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships. The meet will take place on Oct. 31 at John Hunt Park.
The women's 6K will begin at 10 a.m. Eastern and the men's 8K will follow at 11 a.m. Eastern, with both races set to air on ESPN+.
The Liberty women's squad will aim for its third consecutive CUSA title.
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
Friday, June 05
Wednesday, June 03
Thursday, May 21
Thursday, January 29